


Everything Stays, but it still Changes

by TheQueenOfFish, thorkified



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Consensual Underage Sex, Featuring both underage Tony and underage Peter at different points, Iron Husbands, M/M, Minor Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, No romance between Peter and Rhodey, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, Starker, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Underage - Freeform, Underage Peter Parker
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-20
Updated: 2019-03-20
Packaged: 2019-11-01 09:03:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 29,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17864441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheQueenOfFish/pseuds/TheQueenOfFish, https://archiveofourown.org/users/thorkified/pseuds/thorkified
Summary: Tony Stark falls in love with his roommate James Rhodey at MIT, their love is complicated, deep, and strong despite long periods apart. Years later Peter Parker falls in with Tony and the whole situation reminds Tony so strongly of when he made advances on Rhodey, that he goes to the man for the comfort and guidance he has always given Tony before.In the end, Tony has more than he could have ever hoped for, and all three suddenly have a lot to learn.(Chapter one is just Tony/Rhodey)





	1. College Years

**Author's Note:**

> This is converted from a roleplay, hence the constant perspective shifts.  
> This first chapter features underage Tony/Rhodey.  
> We hope you enjoy it.

James stares a the pile of boxes. The room he is sharing with rich child Tony Stark is big, but that’s still too many boxes for the other to have. He suspects he is going to just have to put up with it. His father gave him strict orders to make friends with and ‘protect’ Tony. He can’t start a row about this on the first day. So, he attempts to resign himself to this fate. Perhaps Tony will hate him and beg is daddy to put him in a room with some else and James will be free. That would be great.    
  
What’s worse is that they will be in lots of the same classes as freshmen. He sighs. If the kid doesn’t show up soon he is going to make use of the punching stand in the corner of his side to let off steam.

Tony doesn't want a babysitter, not at all. He doesn't even know who it's gonna be, just that his father instructed him to  _ 'not do anything dumb' _ and to  _ 'not embarrass our family more than you already have'. _ A nice thing to say to your 15-year-old son, really, especially before his first day in college.   
  
He actually hesitates a moment before walking into his new room, knowing that all his stuff - some of which he wanted to take, some of which he was forced to take - will be there, probably alongside a very annoyed roommate. But he has no choice, he knows that, so he carefully knocks on the door three times before walking in.

"Anyone home?" he asks before even stepping inside, then he sees the tall guy in front of the window and gulps. "I'm Tony, your new roommate?"

James turns at the voice and sees Tony Stark, looking almost, a little nervous. Unexpected. 

“James Rhodes,” he introduces himself, striding forward and offering the kid his hand to shake. He’s significantly taller than him.

Tony tries not to stare, but it's quite impossible not to. He doesn't know what he expected, but definitely not someone so big and, well, buff. He takes the other's hand hesitantly, shaking it. 

"Tony, Tony Stark." It's strange how shy his voice sounds, he's not used to that at all. "Sorry for... all this stuff. I tried to get them to let me pack alone, but they insisted on taking what they thought I'd need too. Parents, huh?" God, he is nervous, why is he so nervous?

Tony's grip isn't very firm or tight, and the kid sounds nervous. His explanation for the stuff is apologetic and believable, given his dad’s seeming overly protective nature. James thinks of the ugly sweaters his Mum forced him to take for cold weather, the cake tin he probably won't use, and smiles at Tony.

"Yep, seems yours might be a little more overbearing than mine though," he says jokingly, "But we are free of them now."

At this, Tony has to chuckle. "I sure hope so," he says. As he looks around the room, he realizes just how many boxes there are though and sighs in defeat. "God, it's like I'm gone for a lifetime, not just off to college.”   
  
James seems to be nice, which is a huge relief, and Tony gives him an apologetic smile when he walks over to the first box and crouches down, opening it. Clothes. Too many and all the clothes he hates. Definitely something his mom packed. He sighs again and shakes his head. "You think my mom will kill me if I just 'lose' the contents of this box?" he asks and laughs unamused.

James laughs at the question and wanders over to look over his shoulder. They look like clothes his own mum would pick out. 

"I think that depends on how well you think your mum will remember your wardrobe in 10 months time," he states. "I can't throw anything away that mine packed for me, but she only packed about 5 things." he states looking down into the box.

"Yeah, that's like... enough for five people," Tony sighs and closes the box again to not look at the ugly clothes anymore. "She just doesn't get that I'm not five anymore sometimes. Whenever I get something I like, she complains it's not 'appropriate'." 

He rolls his eyes and moves over to a second box, which makes his eyes sparkle when he opens it. "Oh thank God! They didn't leave it behind!" Tony had begged and pleaded to take his tech stuff with him and apparently his parents had mercy on him because it all seemed to be there.

Not appropriate huh? James wonders what the kid wants to wear, to be fair he can sympathise with the woman, it must be hard to have your kid grow up and move out so fast. He can't help but be nosey and looks at the second box. It's full to the brim with tech. Half-built things and parts and slipped down the side are what seem to be blueprints.    
  
James hasn't decided yet whether Tony is actually as smart as everyone says, or if it is just exaggeration. "Wow that's a lot of tech," he says.

"Yeah, I tried to pack everything I could before they noticed what I was taking," Tony chuckles and takes out a half-built circuit board, grinning. "Too bad I couldn't take everything, but if you're interested, feel free to take a closer look sometime." He puts the board back in and closes the box again, taking a deep breath.    
  
"I have no idea where to put half of these things," he huffs and shakes his head. "Maybe I'll just have the stuff I don't want stored somewhere so I can pretend I used it or something."

Tony’s offer is unexpected and rather sweet. The way he looks at the boxes shows he’s a little intimidated. James looks around and then at the boxes. 

“We could put the some you don’t want on top our wardrobes till you can sort storage out,” he suggests.

Tony's eyes light up when he turns around. "Really?" He would love for at least some of those to be out of his way. "That would be awesome! But only if you don't need the storage place yourself." Taking away space from his roommate is the last thing he wants.

The look on Tony’s face would have convinced him even if he had needed it. It’s such a grateful sweet look. James shrugs.

“I’ve already packed my stuff all away, I don’t need to top of my wardrobe,”

Tony jumps up, visibly relieved and happy. "Thank you so much!" he says and tries immediately to lift the box with the ugly clothes, including the one beneath it because it's just the same - he just  _ knows  _ it - but they barely even move no matter how hard he tries. Damn, he can't embarrass himself like this within the first hour! "Come ON!" Tony growls and tries again, the only success he has being to nearly pull a muscle.

The kid’s face fucking lights up and it’s both cute and attractive. He then attempts to lift the boxes. James watches him strain for a few seconds before he strides over.

“Careful, you’re going to hurt yourself. I’ve got this,” he tells him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Tony blushes hard and lets out a frustrated groan when he finally gives up. "It's fine, I'll just... take one at a time," he says and shakes his head, trying to just lift the upper box. Unfortunately, even that one is so heavy he can barely lift it and if it weren't for James standing behind him, he would have just fallen onto his back with the whole thing landing on top of him.   
  
At this, Tony blushes even harder and drops the box back onto the other, sighing. "Okay... I  _ might  _ need some help with this..."

Tony flushes a very attractive pink as he gives up. James is just glad he didn’t hurt himself. Tony steps out of the way and he picks up both boxes, carrying them across to his wardrobe and sliding them onto the top. 

“There, I’m happy to help you move anything else,” he says as he turns around.

Tony stares at the floor and the boxes until James picks them up easily, muscles flexing in a way that makes him feel far too warm and more nervous than it should. He keeps his eye on the older one - who of course wears a tank top, which shows just how much stronger and better built he is than Tony - and swallows hard when he stretches and puts the boxes onto the wardrobe.

"I... have to go through the rest first," he says with a dry mouth, knowing full well that he's still blushing like mad and still stares, but he really can't fucking help it.

James sees the flush that he suspects is more than embarrassment as Tony stares at him. How interesting. He smiles and nods. He goes to his bed and sits down, opening a textbook.

“Well, tell me if you need anything, Tony,” he says, smiling at him.

Tony gulps and nods, dropping to his knees next to another box, which includes the clothes he actually packed himself. He tries hard to focus on putting them all away, but he just keeps glancing over at James, curious and whenever James catches him, he spins back around with flushing cheeks, as though he did something forbidden.   
  
He doesn't really know why he seems so interested in the older boy, especially not when he knows pretty damn well how this whole thing will go, but he can't stop his curiosity. It takes forever to pack his clothes away and when he's finally done, he grabs the box with 'Office' written on the side and puts it on the bed. He starts putting all the stuff he needs on his desk onto it, including several things he built himself and that probably look like the surreal collection of a crazy person.

James can’t deny that it inflates his ego to repeatedly catch Tony staring. He definitely likes boys, there’s no other explanation. It’s cute, the way he flushes about being caught. He can’t deny that he isn’t looking himself. Watching as the boy bends over showing off a wonderful ass. He is disappointed almost when he moves to the desk and starts putting stuff away there as he is not bending over. The kid is unpacking a lot of electronics and James gets nosey.

“What is all that stuff?” He asks.

Tony's eyes light up when James asks about his things and he turns around, smiling. "Wanna take a look? I built most of these myself, but this..." He reaches into the box again and pulls out a monitor and then a box he puts beside it. "This is my baby. I just  _ had  _ to bring it, I can't live without my computer anymore." He lets out an awkward chuckle as he starts plucking it in and then pushes stuff around so everything fits and he still has space to work.

James can’t resist and he crosses the room, he leans over Tony’s shoulder, hands on the desk, boxing him in.

“Wow, this is serious tech, it’s like half the size of a normal computer, how fast does it run?” He asks impressed.

Tony tenses slightly at James being so close, but the question manages to distract him enough to relax again. "It's actually quite fast," he says and plugs the monitor in so he can turn it on. It boots insanely quickly and he grins as his fingers fly over the keyboard to run the usual commands. "I needed something faster than the market had to offer because I write lots of programs and play around with AIs, so I had to build one myself. Watch."   
  
Tony ran a few commands and a small window pops up. It's black, with a thin blue line in the middle. Tony reaches for the side of the computer monitor and presses a button.

"Jarvis, can you hear me?"

"As clear as always, Sir," an electronic voice answers and the blue line on the computer moves with the words. Tony grins brightly. "What can I do for you today?"

"I'm just checking in if you're alright."

At the explanation, James is shocked.

“Holy shit, dude, that’s cool. What the hell are you doing here? Class is clearly going to be a waste of time if you built and computer above market level and have coded an AI,” He exclaims. “Is it a true AI?” he asks curiously.

Tony's cheeks flush again and he feels a bit ashamed, especially since James is right. "Can't really do much without a degree, you know? And I wanted to get out of there, it's like a cage at home," he sighs and shrugs. "And yes, he is. I'm still working on his programming, but he learns already. And he can access a pretty huge database of information too. I'm sure in a few years, Jarvis will be pretty much perfect. Go ahead, ask him any question, I'm sure you won't be disappointed," Tony says, not without a smirk.

Rhodey is impressed and the kid definitely deserves to be cocky about this tech. The fact he says cage is a little worrying, what exactly is Howard Stark like?

“That’s pretty cool, Tony,” he shifts and leans forward, it brings his lips a lot nearer Tony’s ear, he shouldn’t but he knows it will be so fun to tease. “Jarvis, how did Tony come up with your name?” he asks.

Tony tries hard to not shudder at James so close and his voice right next to his ear, but he can't suppress it fully and has to grip the edge of the table to steady himself.

"I am named after the Stark's butler, Edwin Jarvis," the AI explains, his voice sounding a little more human now. "Tony thought it would be nice to have a familiar voice with him when he left for college."

"Thanks, Jarvis," Tony hisses through gritted teeth, cheeks flushing dark pink. "I guess that's enough."

James pulls back and laughs.

“That’s amazing Tony,” he says putting a hand on his shoulder and squeezing gently. He knows that the teasing was a little cruel. He’s had his fun, so from now on, he’s going to try and resist the temptation to tease Tony.

Tony's knees nearly go weak at the touch on his shoulder and the squeeze and he tries to hide it by quickly sinking into the chair in front of his desk, even if it's a hasty and not very convincing attempt.

"T-Thanks," he says quickly, looking up with a shaky smile. "It's not much though, just something I found useful. Jarvis is pretty much my digital maid."

James watches as Tony sits heavily, He is unsure if the other boy did it because he hated the touch, or liked it too much. He smiles at him.

“Everyone always goes on about smart homes right? Maybe he’ll be useful then?”

Tony quickly nods, his smile brightening. "Yes! I'm working on that already!" he says excitedly. He didn't think James would be so interested and nice, he really likes it. "Dad won't let me upgrade more than my room and my personal lab, but Jarvis already has control over most things there! He can turn on and off lights, start machines and computers, controls the security system, can lock doors and so on." Tony sounds utterly proud, pretty much because he is. Jarvis really is one of his best inventions so far.

Okay this is far too adorable, (the voice and the excited face), but also kinda sexy, (the knowledge and the innocence). James suddenly feels like his main focus will be keeping other people’s hands off Tony. He’s underage, significantly underage, what is it that people say? He’s jailbait. 

“That’s cool man, I can’t wait for the future,” he says.

Tony pretty much beams with excitement as he turns the computer off and jumps up to drop onto his bed. He likes James, he really does. He seems pretty smart and isn't mean or patronizing him - he hates that so much because everyone does that since he's only ever around adults.   
  
"What about you, James?" he finally asks, thinking he talked enough about himself. "Guess we're stuck together for the next ten months, might as well know who I'm talking to."

James watches this, and the way Tony’s shirt rides up as he flops back, showing his soft stomach. He shrugs and saunters over to his own bed. It’s queen sized like Tony’s, which is crazy for a college dorm. He shrugs.

“Well let’s think, my dad’s in the military, I love engineering and my dad was fine with it on the condition I use it to join a higher military rank that’s why I’m just joining in now,” he states, rolling his eyes.

"Wow, so you're gonna be a sergeant one day?" Tony asks, eyes wide with curiosity. His dad won't let him be part of the company at all, always says he's too young to understand, but Tony isn't dumb, he knows what Stark Industries does and that a lot of it includes weapons for the military. He doesn't miss the annoyed way James ends with though and frowns slightly at it. "Or do you wanna do something else instead? I always thought flying a jet or a helicopter would be really cool, or just... fly in general."

James shrugs. “I want to be in the military, I know I’ll fit in, and I want to protect our country. I just hate how my dad obsesses over me joining. He acts like if I don’t do well in the military he’s a failure, I hate that,” he says rolling his eyes. “Some days I consider not joining just to spite him, but I know he wants what’s best for me,” he admits in an annoyed voice. He smiles at Tony. “Why don’t you become a pilot then?” He asks.

Tony shrugs and gives James an awkward look. "I'm not very good with following orders. Or rules," he admits. "Pretty much why my dad pulled me out of public school and I got homeschooled. I just got into too much trouble and in the end, I'll probably work at Stark Industries someday. You know, once he stops thinking I'm a baby who doesn't know what business is about." He knows so much more about business than anyone else his age, but does it matter? Of course not. He's always the little annoying kid that his dad sees as more of a bother than a help.

James can see the frustration on Tony's face. Poor kid.

"Well, normally parents take you more seriously once you've lived out and gone to uni right? So don't worry about it," he reassures. Tony seems sweet and innocent and James wants to make him feel better, to make him feel good about himself.

"I hope so," Tony sighs. "It's not like he even cared that I left, he probably hopes I'll be kidnapped again or something. Mom is the reason I was even allowed to go, I guess she persuaded him to let me leave."

Tony still remembers the ice cold  _ 'Goodbye' _ his father had given him before he sent him off, which was not at all how one should send their kid to a new school. "At least I didn't end up at a boarding school, I guess. That would be worse. MIT is pretty cool."

James hopes this is just a bad case of teen angst, Howard Stark doesn't really hope that right? He remembers reading about Tony's kidnapping years ago, the kid was fine but still, that stuff must mess you up a little. James smiles.

"Yeah, moms are pretty great," he states thinking of his own mom who'd cried saying goodbye to him yesterday. "And MIT is great, way more freedom than boarding school, trust me," he says. He knows quite of few people who ended up going and hating it.

Tony nods, swinging his legs for a bit, not looking up. He knows he should be glad having such a nice roommate, but he still can't feel like he's being supervised even here by someone older.

"You're gonna be my babysitter, won’t you?" he finally asks, without making eye contact and sounding more than just a little disappointed. "Because the dumb little kid can't be left on his own, he needs someone to make sure he doesn't fuck up."

James sees the way Tony retreats back into his shell and he doesn't like it. He sighs.

"Look Tony, I'm pretty sure both our fathers decided this for us, there's nothing we can do about it, so let's make the most of it okay?" he suggests voice quiet. "You can think of me as a babysitter if you want to, but I'd prefer us to just be friends,"

Tony frowns, unconsciously starting to fiddle with the hem of his shirt. Of course, it's like he thought it would be, but James doesn't seem to be too happy about this arrangement either. 

"I don't want a babysitter," he mumbles. "But... I'd like a friend. I don't have any friends, apart from Jarvis and... well, he's more of a servant than a friend. He has to be nice to me." He sighs, finally looking back up at the other. "I like you, so I guess being friends would be nice."

James smiles but his heart fucking aches for the kid. Sure he doesn’t have any friends at MIT, but he has school friends and friends from clubs, not none at all. 

“Well, that’s good, ‘cause I like you too,” he tells him. “Yeah, we could hate each other to spite our fathers, but it might be a lot more fun to work together to spite them,” he states, grinning.

At this idea, Tony has to chuckle. "Yeah, I bet that would be something they don't expect," he says with a grin. "Must be pretty annoying for you to be with a kid like me, but I'll try not to ruin your fun, promised. If you wanna have friends or girls over just say it, I'll go to the library then or whatever." 

He knows very well how college goes, he's not dumb, and he doubts with James' good looks he won't have company over. Not that he minds, he is used to being alone. "They surely don't want a 15 year old around annoying them."

James thinks that all the pieces of news were people called him arrogant or mean, the people responsible for it never actually talked to Tony. 

“If I need privacy I’ll give you a heads up, but you’re my friend, I’m not going to just kick you out when I have other friends over, okay?” He Says smiling at him.

Tony blinks a bit confused at that, but he's actually quite relieved. 

"T-Thank you," he mumbles. "I'll still try to not be too annoying. I might work on my stuff sometimes, but I will do it when you're not here because it can be a bit loud and distracting, unless you want to join of course." Maybe it won't be so bad after all if James won't throw him out as soon as his friends come over. He hates it so much when he's sent outside so the 'adults' can talk.

God, the kid is so sweet, it’s going to kill him. James can hardly believe that a few hours ago he was worried he’d be living with an insufferable brat.

“I’d love to join in, as long as you don’t mind me slowing you down,” he says, grinning.

"I don't think you will," Tony laughs excitedly. He has never had anyone work with him on his stuff, that James actually wants to join him is amazing. "I'm sure you'll be fun to work with. And maybe you can even help me figure out some things I'm stuck with. Fresh pair of eyes and all, you know?"

James doubts it, he’s pretty sure Tony is way out of his league intelligence wise, but he isn’t going to turn down the offer. 

“I’d love too,” he says, smiling at him. He looks at the clock, “Why don’t we order take out?” He suggests.

Tony smiles happily. "We could eat out somewhere too, if you want to?" he suggests. "I haven't been out in forever, I'm sure there are some cool places around here. Maybe we can get pizza somewhere."

James smiles. “Sure sounds good,” he says, getting off the bed and grabbing his leather jacket and wallet before slipping his feet into his shoes.

"Great!" Tony almost squeals and jumps off his bed. "Just... five minutes, okay? I need to get out of those clothes, like... yesterday!" He grabs some things from the wardrobe and rushes to the bathroom, quickly undressing and putting the new clothes on. It's a rather tight pair of black jeans and a black tank, which he combines with a leather jacket on top of it. Nothing cheap, none of it, but the jacket is his favourite thing and he's been hiding it ever since he secretly bought it. Now he can finally wear it!   
  
When he steps outside he just grins at James quickly before throwing his old clothes onto the bed and grabs the pair of heavy boots from the floor next to it. Once they're on and he grabbed his wallet he finally turns to James, smiling. "Ready!"

Tony’s reaction is cute, very cute. He goes into the bathroom looking nerdy and comes out looking cool. James smiles at him.

  
“Looking good, Stark,” he teases gently putting his key in his pocket. “Let’s go,”

Tony is so happy James doesn't scold him that he nearly jumps towards the door. "You know any good places to go around here?" he asks, somehow feeling much more free already, now that he can wear what he wants.

James shrugs. “Not really, only been here a day. I saw quite a few places that looked good just off campus though,” He states grinning at Tony.

Tony grins up at James. "Let's go explore a bit then," he says, cheekily hooking his arm into the other's. "At least no one's gonna kidnap me with such a strong bodyguard," he laughs.

Rhodey is surprised, even if not unpleasantly so when Tony links their arms together.  He wonders if Tony is flirting or teasing. He laughs and smiles at him. He is almost glad, now he can keep Tony near and safe. People on campus might try and have a field day on the sweet boy on his arm.

It's much nicer with James than Tony expected and he's not even worried that anything might happen. And he's very nice too, after the first shock, Tony actually enjoys being close to the older one.   
  
  


They walk around for a bit before finding a place that looks nice enough to have something to eat at - which turns out to be an Italian place, so there's definitely going to be pizza. Tony is dying for pizza. After finding a seat in the back - Tony doesn't like eating with people walking by constantly - they place their orders and Tony is actually very comfortable.   
  
"Did you really mean it when you said you'd be my friend?" he asks when the waiter brought their drinks and looks up at James, a bit hesitant. "You don't have to be, you know."

Tony still questions it, despite them going out together for a meal and their earlier conversation. He’s clearly very insecure. James wants to protect him from all the terrible people who are going to use him. He smiles at Tony.

“Yeah I’m sure,” he promises. “I don’t say things I don’t mean, promise.”

Tony's lips curl into a smile and he gives James a very thankful and relieved look. "I'm glad you don't," he says quietly. "Too many people do. I hate being lied to or treated like a kid. It gets so annoying." He sighs and shakes his head. "I'd love to be your friend, I'll try to be a good one, I promise. Not sure how that works, but I'll do my best."

James smiles at him. “I’m sure you’ll do great kid, don’t worry,” he reassures him.    
  
He enjoys the meal and the company. Hearing Tony talk about the societies he’s heard about and about how he’s already read all the textbooks for his modules. 

“I hope that means you’ll be able to help me,” he teases.

Tony blushes slightly and takes a sip from his coke before nodding. "If you need help, you can always ask," he says with an embarrassed little smirk. "But I'm sure you're pretty smart yourself and it's not that difficult, really." He had basically devoured the books within a few weeks and had barely any problems understanding them, so surely James wouldn't have any either, right?

From anyone else, he might be offended but he gets that Tony hasn’t really been around normal people. Plus, the first term content isn’t that bad, he already knows what he will have trouble with. He smiles.

“Thanks,” He says smiling.

After returning from their dinner, the two boys make themselves comfortable in their room - which means Tony does because James already arrived the day before - and when it's time to sleep, Tony actually thinks he will have a good time here.

\---   
  
The next day, however, right after breakfast, he realizes that living with James might be a bit more challenging than he originally expected. When the older one asks him if he minds that he works out, Tony shakes his head - he's reading anyway, he won't disturb him - but it quickly turns out to be very distracting.   
  
He can't stop looking over at James and eventually just puts his book down because it's of no use, watching the other do sit ups, push ups and whatever else he's doing. Tony doesn't really care, he's too stunned by just how freaking good James looks to think about other things.

James is definitely going to get an over inflated ego if Tony keeps staring like that. He’s stopped even pretending to read now. James can’t help but want to continue the show. So, he pulls out the practice dummy and starts practising boxing.

Tony gulps hard as he watches James take out the dummy and start boxing practice. By now he has a very hard time not gasping at the sight. He rarely reacts to someone like this, so it's kind of scary in a way. Sure, he got aroused and stuff, he was definitely interested in guys (and girls, obviously), but this? This is just absolutely intense and he can feel his stomach twist at the sweat-covered skin and at just how much James powers himself out in front of him.

James is dripping sweat once he is done and panting. He takes a few deep breaths before turning to look at Tony. He is so clearly aroused and even though he shouldn’t, James wants to plow the boy into the next week.

Tony can feel how flushed his cheeks are and yet, he can't look away when James finally turns to face him. He's never seen something so fucking hot right in front of him and he wouldn't even move at this point if anyone would pay him.

"Do you... do that every day?" he asks, not really managing to not sound kind of hopeful. He surely wouldn't mind if James did.

James hears the hope and grins. “I do, but I only box every other day,” he tells him. Even though he promised he wouldn’t tease he can’t help it. He pulls his shirt off and tosses it in his laundry basket.   
“Would you prefer I did it when you are out of went to the gym?” he asks.

Tony swallows and quickly shakes his head, his eyes widening slightly at the sight of James shirtless. For a moment he actually thinks he forgot how to breathe, this is not at all what he expected to happen.

"It's fine, you... you can train here, I don't mind," he says in a voice that clearly begs for him to not do this anywhere else, without actually saying it. "You're... pretty strong..."

James can’t help it, he grins and strides across the room to Tony’s bed, leaning down and lifting him up under his arms. “A bit more than pretty strong Tones,” he teases.

This time, Tony does gasp and his heart beats faster. James will see that he got hard from watching him, fuck, he will see! He almost panics when the other lifts him up, but he still can't look away from him. "You're pretty  _ damn  _ strong," he says quickly, hoping against all hope that he won't notice, that he's not going to embarrass himself like that after not even a day.

James laughs and deposits him back on the bed. Tony bounces his legs so they spread and it’s so clear how hard Tony is. James cock aches sympathetically. He doesn’t linger on the site though and instead ruffles Tony’s hair.

“Maybe I should teach you how to box,” he suggests.

"You would?" Tony asks surprised, looking up at James. No one ever offered to teach him anything other than tech and science. Maybe he could become stronger too like that? It sure works for James, after all. "I'd love to, but I'll probably be really bad at it. I'm tiny and not strong at all..."

God Tony is far too sweet, looking at him all surprised and grateful and bashful while he's hard. He ruffles Tony's hair again, he can’t help it.

"Sure, and size doesn't have much to do with it, you'll be great with me teaching you."

Tony's cheeks flush dark pink again, but he still beams up at James with happiness. "I'll give my best, I promise!" It would be so cool to have his friend show him how to box. When James does it, it looks amazing. Tony would love to be this cool and amazing too.

James grins. "We can start tomorrow, Tones," he says, the new nickname slipping easily off his tongue again. It suits him. Sounds sweet and cute, just like Tony is.

Tony likes when James calls him Tones and he likes that he actually means what he suggested even more. He can't hide the excitement when he pushes himself forward and hugs the other tightly, for the moment even forgetting that this will probably make him even harder again.   
  
"Thank you so much! I promise I won't disappoint you!" He's so happy, this is already better than the last five years combined have been.

James suddenly has an armful of Tony. It's so sweet. He hugs back tightly.

"It's no big deal, it will be fun," he assures him. He rubs his back before stepping back. "I'll go shower so I don't stink up the room," he says, smiling.

"You're not stinking it up," Tony chuckles and sits back on the bed, grinning at James. And it's true. For some reason, Tony likes the way James smells, it's such a good, intense scent that's more than just sweat. He's probably a freak for finding this arousing, but fuck, that's just how it is. "But I guess it's better to not get into new clothes all sweaty..."

James swallows at the honest answer, his eyes flick down for a second to confirm that Tony's erection is still there - it is. He shrugs. 

"I prefer being clean," he says before heading into the bathroom.

Tony is glad that James leaves because the disappointment on his face is something he can't hide and as soon as he hears the door close he falls back into his pillows, letting out a desperate groan and groping himself hard. Fuck, this isn't good. He shouldn't get so turned on just watching James workout, what kind of pervert is he? It doesn't matter how hot he looks, they're friends, they know each other for less than a day, this isn't what he's supposed to do!   
  
While James showers, Tony forces his thoughts to the least sexual things he can think of, just to finally get rid of his boner. He doesn't want him to think he's like that, he doesn't want to fuck this up so fast.

\-----

The next morning Rhodey gets up at 8 to train, doing press up and the rest of his reps. He sees Tony slowly waking up, and he smiles as he feels eyes on him. He looks and catches him staring.

"You wanna get dressed and do some boxing?" he asks.

It's a great sight to wake up to and Tony immediately nods at James' question and pushes himself off the bed to get dressed. He settles for shorts and a tank, simply because he knows he will sweat like mad and it's the lightest stuff he has, then returns to watch James finish the rest of his workout before boxing. He's excited, there's no doubt about that, and just looking at his friend pumps him up already.

James smiles at Tony as he pulls the punch stand into the middle of the room,    
"Have you ever done any combat sports at all?" he asks smiling at him.

Tony gets off the bed and slowly nods. "Not really with anyone else though," he admits, blushing slightly. "I... kind of practice with a dummy I made, but not for long. I didn't really know how to do it right and it was boring alone." He hopes it wouldn't be boring with James because he really wanted to do this.

James smiles and beckons him over. That is adorable and kind of sad, but it's okay, he can teach Tony now.

"Well, the first thing we have to get right is your stance," he tells him. He gets into his stance,  "Copy me and then I'll correct you," he tells him.

Tony takes a close look at James and tries to copy his stance the best he can. It looks a bit clumsy because his legs are far shorter, but overall he hopes he's not doing too bad. "Like this?" he asks, looking up at James.

Tony isn't bad at copying, James is surprised.

"You're some of the way there already," he tells him smiling. He steps around behind Tony,    
"First, relax your shoulders," he says putting his hands on them.

It's hard relaxing with James' hands on him, but Tony takes a few deep breaths and forces his body to do as he wants. He actually manages to relax halfway, which allows James to get him into a better position.

"Sorry," Tony laugh awkwardly, looking up. "I told you, I suck at this."

James smiles at him. "Don't say that, we haven't even started yet," he says. He moves his hands to Tony's hips hands, squaring them,  "Bend your knees a little," he orders.

Tony's knees are about to turn weak when he feels the big, strong hands on his hips and it takes all of his self-control to keep it together and not just drop to the ground. He manages to bend his knees and get into a better position, trying to not think about how much he likes the other's hands on him like that.

James smiles when Tony's knees bend. "Now, everyone thinks boxing is about your fists, but it’s more than that, especially for a small guy like you it is about being mobile, so you gotta keep your weight on the balls of your feet."

Tony nods, thinking about what he knows about boxing from reading and watching movies. "So, because I'm small my advantage is that I'm more agile and fast, right?" he asks, looking up at James over his shoulder.

James smiles proudly at his fast mind. "Exactly, you are very light, and probably pretty fragile, so you shouldn’t get hit if you can help it, okay?"

Tony nods, smiling happily. "If they can't hit me, they can't knock me out," he chuckles. He loves how James adapts his own knowledge to him, not making him feel bad about being small and rather fragile - which he is, there's no denying it - and instead uses it to show him he can still do it.

James nods. "Exactly, now," he moves his hands to Tony's elbows pushing them in, "elbows in," he tells him. He feels distracted by the vanilla in Tony's shampoo, it smells good.

Tony follows James' order, sighing weakly at the gentle and yet firm touch. He can't help but lean back a little, it just feels so good when James is this close and he doesn't really want him to be done correcting his posture. "L-Like this?" he asks eventually, his voice just a quiet, shaky whisper.

God the shaky whisper is going to kill him. He smoothes a hand up Tony’s spine, straightening it and stepping closer so his chest touches Tony’s back.

“There, this is perfect. Close your eyes and try to remember it, okay?” His arms slip around Tony to grasp his fists. “Now, this is not how you clench your fist,” He scolds lightly.

It's so hard to relax his hands that Tony wants to scream. James is so close, why is he so close? There's no way he can stay relaxed like this, but he doesn't want him to go away either. 

"What next?' he asks carefully, after forcing himself to somehow do that James told him to do.

James explains how to throw a punch, guiding Tony’s arm carefully. 

“That’s it,” He Says voice soft. “Now do it yourself,” He orders. Tony feels so good pressed against James’ chest, he has to think of something gross to not get hard against his round ass.

The first punch Tony tries to land is an absolute disaster and goes nowhere near the target because he's so nervous. He takes a deep breath and tries again, not wanting to make a complete fool of himself, and this time he actually hits. "I did it!" he says excited and punches the target again. "I did it, Rhodey!"

The nickname is adorable and James smiles.

“Well done!” he explains. “That’s great form, Tones, I knew you’d be a fast learner,” he tells him. ‘ _ How fast could he learn how to suck cock? _ ’ His brains asks. James curses his teen brain.

Tony is incredibly happy when James praises him and smiles up excitedly. "Can you show me how to block punches too?" he asks, hoping that maybe he will guide his hands again when he shows him. A pretty blatant attempt to get the older boys hands back onto him, but he really wants it. It feels so nice when James touches him.

James smiles. “In boxing you mainly dodge punches,” he puts a hand on Tony neck and shoulder and guides him through a dodge. His grip is firm and commanding. “Especially a light fighter like you, remember what I said, you don’t want to let the other guy hit you.”

Tony feels a shudder run down his spine and can't suppress the small gasp coming out of his mouth at how good it feels to be gripped like that. 

"O-Okay," he whispers, swallowing hard and trying to concentrate. Fuck, he can't get hard again, not now. "I need to evade punches and... not get hit."

James feels the shudder. Is it because of the ways he’s holding Tony? God he’s perfect and amazing. Made to be bent over and- no no no, he’ll get hard. Bad thought.

“That’s exactly right,” he says, stepping back. “So, throw some more punches and never let your guard down,” He orders.

Tony nods, even though he doesn't like James stepping back that much. He tries to concentrate on the dummy instead, remembering what he learned as he begins hitting it. After another failed punch he hits it again, getting more confident and letting more follow. He's fast, even though his punches aren't that strong, but after a while, he actually begins moving his body too so he's always in motion. It's hard to not think about James watching him, but he wants to do well, he wants to be good.

James watches the boy proudly. He really is already doing well, but he tires easily.    
“That’s good, nice and fast and strong, well done,” he pauses and can’t help it. “Good boy.”

Tony's chest almost explodes with pride when James calls him a good boy and he lands one last hit before he stops and turns around, eyes sparkling. He moved so much he's sweating by now too, but he barely registers it. He did well, James called him a good boy! He's so damn happy about that, it's impossible not to be.

"It's really fun," he says with a bright smile. "You're a great teacher!"

James’s heart melts when Tony smiles so broadly. He steps forward and ruffles his hair. “I’m glad you enjoy it. We can do it every other day if you want?” he offers. And it will put Rhodey’s mind at rest to know that Tony is at least somewhat capable of defending himself.

Tony can't help but lean into the touch and nod happily. 

"I'll get better, promised!" he says with pure joy. "Maybe I can take on you someday too, I'm sure it would be fun trying." What he doesn't say is that he can't shake off the idea of them fighting - not serious, just as training of course - and James overpowering him. That's something he's gonna keep for himself. "I think I'm the one needing a shower now though," he finally laughs, pulling on his shirt and making a face. "I'm soaked."

Rhodey smiles and laughs. “I think we got a while to go until then, Tones,” he teases back, “You shower first, I’m okay with waiting a bit.”

\------

The first actual day of college is like a trip to wonderland for Tony. He has quite a few courses with James, which is pretty cool because they can sit together and he doesn't feel lost in the huge place.   
  
After the first lecture he walks up to the teacher's assistant because he has some questions regarding the subject - mainly asking if there is any additional or advanced textbooks he can get and he finds that the young man is very charming and friendly. They joke for a while and at the end, the man even lays a hand on Tony's shoulder, to which the boy smiles brightly.   
  
A similar thing happens when he and James walk to the cafeteria to grab lunch and Tony is outright flirting this time, without even fully realizing it; batting his lashes, chuckling, blushing slightly. And the teacher's assistant fully flirts back, to which the boy is completely oblivious, despite the very obvious inappropriate touches and remarks.

Rhodey is glad when he sees Tony talking to the TA, it’s good to see him able to interact and meet new people. Then, on the way to, lunch his opinion changes. Tony flirts, remarkably smoothly and utterly charming and the TA flirts back, and when they are in the line he puts his hand on Tony’s lower back and the younger giggles. Tony sees the glint in the TAs eyes, he wants to eat Tony up. James had no plans to interfere with Tony’s dating life, but that man isn’t an option. He just isn’t.    
  
They get their food and the TAs friends call to him. The man goes to probably ask to see Tony when James suddenly says. “I have a question, you go and find somewhere to sit, Tones,” he says, smiling at the man.

Tony is a bit surprised, but nods and tells the TA that he will catch him later before strolling away to find a good place to sit. He doesn't think much of James wanting to talk to the TA and when he finds an empty table not too far away he hungrily starts eating, waiting for his friend to be done and join him. He really likes college so far.

James smile drops and he looks the TA in the eye. “How old are you?” He demands, stepping forward and drawing himself up to his full height.

The TA gives James a confused look and clears his throat. "23, why are you asking?" He looks far less innocent than he acts, clearly nervous to a degree even though he tries to hide it.

James isn’t surprised. “Well I don’t care if you think it’s fine to flirt with 18-year-old freshmen, but Tony is 15, so you stay the fuck away from him, understand?”

The TA's face loses all its colour and he quickly glances over at Tony, who's just taking a bite from his food. He gulps and looks back at James. "He's... 15?" he asks, clearly embarrassed.

James feels like rolling his eyes, how did the guy not know? "Yes, so keep your hands off, otherwise I'll break them, clear?"

"Dude, chill, okay?" the TA says and takes a step back. "I'm not gonna do anything, alright? It was just harmless flirting, that's it. He's cute, I didn't know he was a fucking kid."

James smiles and steps back. "Good to know," he states before making his way over to Tony. He smiles when he sits down.

"So how did you like our first class?" he asks as if nothing happened.

Tony grins at him, putting his soda can down. "It was really fun," he says, glad that James is finally done. "Wasn't that hard, right? And the TA said I can get some more books on the topic at the library, he's really nice."

James nods,. "Yeah he seems nice, kinda old tho," he jokes, laughing. He is going to try and not tell Tony what to do because he thinks that will make him angry. He can, however, try and nudge him in the right direction.

"Doesn't look that old to me," Tony frowns and looks over at the TA, who sits a few tables away with his friends. "But I guess everyone is kinda old here compared to me, huh? You're not really younger either," he chuckles.

James shrugs. "If he is a TA he is a postgrad, so he is probably 22 or 23," he explains, "That's pretty old if you ask me."

"Oh," Tony huffs, his face dropping a little. "That's... really a bit old." He's not dumb if the TA is really that old he was probably just nice to him because he's a kid. Like most adults. After a moment he shrugs and takes another bite from his food. "Maybe I'll stick to those under 20 instead..."

James sees the sad look and knocks his ankle against Tony's. "Will you still be my friend when I turn 20?" he asks teasingly.

Tony chuckles and knocks back. "I'll still be your friend when you're fifty, promised!" he exclaims with a bright smile. He doesn't mind how old James is, he's awesome and Tony wants to stay his friend forever.

That promise is so utterly innocent and sweet, it actually stuns James for a few seconds. Still, instead of being put off by it, he feels compelled to follow through. “I’ll hold you too that,” he teases smiling. James is going to keep Tony safe and happy, he’s going to keep that smile on his face for as long as he can.


	2. Chapter 2

Peter Parker takes a deep breath, he can do this. It’s going to be great, it’s going to be easy, he just has to stay calm. Peter is going to seduce Tony Stark. It hopefully shouldn't be too hard. 

  
Peter has always lusted after Tony, but in the few months since his Homecoming dance he has ended up spending a lot of time with Tony in the lab. They get on well and it makes Peter's heart pound every time they are close. He thinks Tony actually likes him now, not only that, but sometimes when he's in the suit or bending over, he catches Tony's eyes on him, hot and wanting.   
  
So, it's clear Tony wants him, but he isn't going to make a move, so Peter has to do it himself. He looks down at himself, he's wearing his only pair of skinny jeans, he can do this.

Tony waits for Peter to come over, pretty much like he always does, with a mixture of excitement and nervousness. He loves having the kid over, he can't deny it. He knows Peter enjoys this time, he can see it every time they are somehow physically close and even though he knows he shouldn't, he can't help but enjoy it himself.   
  
The first time he caught himself staring at Peter's ass while he wore his suit, Tony was shocked by his own thoughts. He tries hard not to do it, because yes he likes Peter and yes he also likes him that way, but it's not really what he should do. He sighs and leans back in his chair, looking at the ceiling. It shouldn't be long anymore, hopefully Peter hurries. Even if he can't make a move on the kid, for obvious reasons, he craves his company.

Peter takes a deep breath and pushes open the lab door, big smile on his face. 

"Hey Mr Stark!" he exclaims, striding into the lab. His heart is racing with nerves, but he's determined. First, he needs to get in Tony's personal space.

Tony's heart skips a beat at the voice he waited to hear for hours now and he sits back straight, smiling as he looks over to the door.    
"Hey, kid, been waiting for you." He's about to say something else when his gaze drops and he can hardly stop himself from gulping. Damn, those jeans really leave nothing to the imagination... this is going to be one hell of a day if Peter comes anywhere close to him.

Peter smiles. "I hope you weren't waiting too long," he says, walking over. Tony is leaning against a desk and Peter walks up until he’s almost touching him. He looks down bashfully. "Mr. Stark," he murmurs.

Don't stare at his ass, Tony keeps telling himself as Peter walks over but not staring is like trying not to breathe. Fuck, what is the kid thinking? And then his voice, dear lord, he shouldn't sound like that. Tony can't prevent the gulp this time as he looks up, finally getting his eyes away from those cursed hips and the far too perfect ass. 

"Not long, no," he says quietly. "What's wrong? You look like you've got something on your chest."

Peter keeps looking down. “I’ve seen the way you look at me, Mr. Stark,” he says softly. He looks up into his face biting his lip as he does. “The way you look when you think I can’t see you,” he admits.

Tony tries to keep his poker face up, but he can feel his face heat up at being caught like that. Shit, this isn't good. This is anything but good. 

"Do I stare?" he asks, lips jerking into a faint smirk, but the snark he expects to hear in his voice isn't there. "You don't look like you mind," Tony adds, wondering what this is going to be about. Peter never complains about him staring and he's never seen the kid so bold. He doesn't know what to make of this yet.

“Yes, Mr. Stark, you look like you want to eat me up,” he pauses and steps forward, their chests pressing together. “What I want to know is, why haven’t you?” He lets out a soft moan, “Can’t you tell how much I want it?”

Tony doesn't know what to say, his mouth runs dry at just how close Peter is and that moan... God, he can feel his stomach twist and turn at it. 

"I-I think you're misinterpreting this a little..." he answers and it sounds like someone else is speaking. "I don't think this is a good idea. At all."

Peter puts a hand on Tony’s shoulder. “I don’t think I am, sir,” he murmurs. “And I think it’s a great idea, I certainly want it, I want it so bad Mr. Stark, please,” he almost moans the last please as he stands on his toes to bring their faces closer.

Tony's breath hitches and his heart beats so insanely fast, he can't focus his thoughts on anything other than Peter's face being so close. This shouldn't happen, fuck, the boy is 15, he can't let this happen! "Pete..." he whispers, a barely audible sound because he can't bring himself to raise his voice.

Peter gives Tony a look that he hopes is beseeching. “Mr Stark, please, I want you, I won’t tell anyone, promise,” he murmurs, “I need it, please.”

Tony's hands begin sweating at those words and his eyes widen. This isn't a game, Peter is serious and he doesn't know what to do. Certainly not him, he can't do that. 

"Peter, please... I... I can't..." His voice is so weak, it feels like it will crack any second, but he can't stop it.

Peter tilts his head to the side and leans in, his breath ghosts across Tony’s lips. 

“Why not?” He murmurs. “You want me, don’t you?” he asks, face changing into a heartbreaking expression.

God, Tony wants him, he wants him so badly it makes his heart ache seeing the boy's face like that. But he can't do this to him, he can't use Peter like that. 

"I... I do, but... I really can't..."

Peter’s face breaks into a smile, Tony does want him. “It’s okay to want me, I want you, Mr. Stark, so badly. I want you to fuck me so badly and I promise I won’t tell anyone,” he says, voice low.

Tony can feel the panic rise when he realizes Peter's words go straight down to his cock. He lets out a quiet moan he can't suppress, finding the boy's pretty brown eyes. Everything in him screams to touch him, to have him, but he can't do it, he can't…

"Kid, please, you... you don't know what you're doing to me..." Tony's voice sounds pleading now and his throat tightens painfully. This is all kinds of wrong, fuck...

The words only encourage Peter and he moans softly. “I hope I’m making you hard, Mr. Stark,” he whispers before closing the gap and kissing him.

There's a second where everything in Tony cheers at the long yearned for touch, soft and warm and so unbelievably sweet, but it doesn't last. Suddenly the reality of the situation crashes down on him and he rips his eyes open, staring at Peter in complete shock and panic. He wants to push the boy away, but his hands won't listen, his whole body is frozen in place.

Peter sees the look in Tony’s eyes and strokes his cheek. 

“Tony,” He whispers. “I know you were having sex at my age, what’s the difference?” He asks softly. “You’ll treat me so much better than any high school boy will, I know you will. So, you shouldn’t feel bad, you should feel good, you wouldn’t want my first time to be bad, right?”

There's no way to keep the panic contained in its cage at Peter's words, they hit too deep, they are too true and he just can't do this. He needs to get away, now, before he does something stupid. As much as it hurts, Tony pushes Peter back finally, shaking his head without being able to get anything other than a weak “I'm sorry” out before jumping off his chair and storming out. 

Tony’s hands finally on him, only for the man to push him away and run out. The apology sounded so scared and panicked. He wants to cry but also Tony does want him he just has to convince him that it’s okay. He picks up the hoodie that Tony left behind and curls up on the sofa after putting it on. He cries a little, but falls asleep wrapped in the heavenly scent. 

\----

Tony doesn't know what to do, where to go, what to even think. All that exists right now is this inability to breathe properly and the tears building up in his eyes as he runs away like a five year old. Tony is halfway to the communal floor already before he realizes where he's going, who he's looking for in his panicked state. Rhodey... he will know what to do, he will make things right... he always did, he always kept him safe...

Rhodey is cooking, he’s been staying in the compound with Tony since the accident, not really doing much military work, just recovering. Tony has been here for him every step of the way, so in return he has been making them proper meals everyday. He smiles, it almost remind him of their college days.

The tears are already rolling down Tony's cheeks when he stumbles into the room, a weak "Rhodey..." all he can say. He feels horrible, he can't breathe properly and he's so fucking scared, he doesn't know how to form a coherent thought anymore. It's like he's back in their dorm room, like he's back in the past - just a boy knowing close to nothing about the world and seeking comfort from the one person he knows he can trust.

Rhodey heard the door open, and smiles, but that drops when he hears the desperate gasp of his name. He turns and sees Tony. He’s crying and his breathing is so unsteady, and fuck it’s been years since he’s seen Tony like this, it’s been decades. That doesn’t seem to matter because his body still knows what to do.    
  
He strides across the room, arms opens and welcoming as he wraps them around Tony. He holds him like he used to, one arm around his waist, one cupping the back of his head.

“Shhh, Tones, I’ve got you, it’s okay, baby boy, just let it all out, that’s it,” He coos. He remembers that it was always better to let Tony cry out all his tears before talking about what was wrong.

There is nothing holding his tears back anymore when Rhodey's arms are around him and he hears this beloved nickname. Tony clings to his friend like he's drowning, sobbing against his chest and seemingly unable to stop. He's shaking and doesn't know what to do against it, but Rhodey is there, he will make it okay again, he will make it stop, Tony knows that.

Tony clings to him and shakes so hard, fuck what caused this? Whatever did this Rhodey is going to hurt because Tony hasn’t cried like this in years. At least not so bad that he ran to Rhodey.  _ ‘Or maybe you weren’t there for him to run to,’  _ a voice hisses in his head. He bats it away.   
  
He guides Tony to a sofa and pulls him into his lap. Rhodey strokes through his hair.   
“I’ve got you, Tones, you’re safe with me,” He murmurs. “Whatever it is, we will sort out together, it’s all going to be okay, baby,” he murmurs. It almost surprises him how easily all the old nicknames come out. How easy it is to call this man only three years younger than him ‘baby’ and be completely sincere.

It takes a long time before Tony manages to calm down enough to stop sobbing, but the still so soothing closeness and gentle touches and words help him enough so that there's only quiet sniffs anymore finally. His chest aches so hard and he wipes his eyes almost angrily, definitely frustrated.

"I... I'm sorry, Rhodey..." he whispers ashamed, trying to not cry again at the simple sound of his trembling voice.

God, the apology kills him. Turns out Tony can be 15 or pushing 40 and still have the same affect on his heart. 

“Hey, there’s nothing to be sorry for, Tones,” he murmurs. “I’m always here for you, no apologies needed.”

Tony shakes his head, face still buried against Rhodey's chest. 

“You gotta help me, please..." he sniffs, feeling so utterly miserable he just wants to disappear on the spot. "I don't know what to do, I'm scared..."

Rhodey strokes his hand through Tony’s hair in a repetitive motion to soothe him.

“Of course I’ll help you, Tones,” he murmurs. “I’m here, you can tell me what’s wrong.”

Tony sniffs and leans into the gentle touch. "It's... it's Pete... I don't know what to do..." Rhodey always protected him from people who weren't good for him, but this time it's different. This time it's Peter he knows will get hurt, how could he not be? Tony is so scared he will mess up, that he will hurt this wonderful and sweet, innocent boy...

Rhodey is surprised by the words, what could be going on with Peter? Unless... Rhodey has seen the adoring looks, perhaps Peter wanted more?

“Tell me what happened, Tones?” He coaxes gently and presses a kiss to his hair.

"He... he came over today and... said all these things..." Tony swallows and hides his face to not show Rhodey how embarrassed he is. "I'm a horrible person, Rhodey... I can't do this, I can't hurt him like that... he's... he's only 15, I shouldn't want what he wants..."

Tony hides his face in Rhodey’s shoulder, like he always used to when he was embarrassed. He thinks he understands now, Peter propositioned Tony for sex and it sent him into a panic. No wonder he ran for Rhodey. Peter is almost exactly the age Tony was when they met. When Rhodey started protecting Tony and his body. 

“You want him too?” Rhodey confirms, voice soft and reassuring.

Tony tenses up, new tears rolling down his cheeks as he nods slowly. 

"It's wrong, I know it is," he sniffs pitifully. "I tried so hard to not want it, but I do... and... when he suddenly kissed me, I... I panicked... oh God, Rhodey, I pushed him away and just ran, why am I like this? He's gonna hate me now..."

Rhodey’s heart aches. “Shhh, it’s okay, Tones, promise,” he murmurs. “He won’t hate you, he’s sweet and kind and he will understand, but I think we need to work a few things out before going to say sorry, okay?” He murmurs.

Tony shakes his head almost frantically, still clinging to his friend like a scared puppy. 

"I can't, Rhodey, I... I can't do that. I'm gonna hurt him, I know it!" He's still so out of himself from the thought alone, it makes his throat tighten again. "I don't want to hurt him, I don't, I don't..."

Rhodey strokes his hair. “You always trusted me to take care of you, Tony, do you still trust me to do that?” He asks softly.

Tony nods slowly, wiping his eyes again. "I... I do..." he sniffs quietly. "I trust you, I know you'll take care of me... I'm sorry I still make you do that..."

Rhodey kisses his forehead softly and smiles gently. “Well as long as you keep your promise to be my friend even when I’m fifty, I think we will good,” he teases gently. “Now, Tony, do you have feelings for Peter?” He asks softly.

Tony hesitates for a moment, but then nods. 

"I don't know how it happened, really..." he mumbles ashamed, fiddling with Rhodey's shirt. "It just did when he was always around... I know it's disgusting, I'm almost three times his age..."

Rhodey nods. He is also feeling a lot of things, especially with Tony on his lap fiddling with his shirt buttons, it is like he's 19 again.

"You can't control your feelings, and neither can Peter,” he soothes gently. "Do you think Peter has more feelings than just lust?"

"I don't know," Tony admits, shaking his head. "I was so scared, I didn't know what to do... he... he didn't sound like it, but I don't know..." 

For him it's more than just that, which is the worst thing about it. Wanting to fuck a 15 year old is bad enough, but actually developing deeper feelings for said 15 year old is all kinds of wrong, even Tony knows that.

Rhodey strokes through his hair. "Okay, now," he strokes through Tony's hair. "You don't want to hurt Peter, do you?" he asks softly rubbing circles into his back.

Tony shakes his head quickly, pressing himself closer against Rhodey. "I never want to hurt him," he whispers. "He's sweet and innocent and kind, I couldn't stand hurting him..."

Rhodey isn't sure what to do, he needs to talk to Peter, but first he has to work this out.

"Why are you do sure you will hurt him, when you don't want to?" he asks softly.

Tony swallows and tries to fight the tightness in his chest to be able to speak. 

"I'm... I'm a mess, Rhodey..." he chokes, barely getting the words out. "He's so young and sweet, he never... never did this before and I'm not good enough for him... I will hurt him, I know it and I don't want to ruin him like that. I don't want him to end up like me..."

Rhodey cups Tony's face in his hands. "You are wonderful, you are smart and brave and strong, and I love you very much, okay?" he says softly stroking his cheek. "You'd never hurt Peter on purpose."

"What... what if he regrets it?" Tony asks with a thick voice, his chest aching. "What if he realizes I was a wrong decision, that he should have waited for someone better? What if he sees how awful I am for even wanting him this way?"

Rhodey kisses him gently, something that always used to help slow Tony’s racing mind, a slow deep kiss. It’s clear to him now how deeply Tony cares, and he needs to calm him down. 

“You can’t control his actions, only your own, Tones,” he murmurs.

Tony closes his eyes at the calming kiss, slowly relaxing against Rhodey. There are still tears in his eyes when Rhodey speaks and he looks at him utterly heartbroken. 

"I want him, I really do, but... I'm scared I will screw it all up..." he says quietly. "He doesn't deserve that I hurt him, you know how I am... I'm not good for someone so inexperienced and kind..."

Rhodey kisses him again. “I know that you’re kind and selfless and a workaholic, and that you love very deeply,” he says gently. “I know that with Peter you’d try to be the best you could be for him,” he pauses. And he hates the next words for how true they are, “I know you hate yourself and don’t believe you deserve people who love you back just as strongly.”

"I proved it again and again, didn't I?" Tony asks, his words sounding both bitter and incredibly sad. "I keep hurting people I love, even if I don't mean to..." It happened with Rhodey, it happened with Pepper, it happened with everyone and he can't stand the thought of it happening with Peter too. "He's a good kid, he really is... I don't want to destroy that, no matter how I feel..."

Rhodey shakes his head. “I love you, and I can’t imagine you ever doing something that would make you unworthy of my love. In the last ten years all you have done was act selflessly and tried to help others,” he says softly. “I love you, Tony, and don’t for one second think you don’t deserve it.”

Tony wants to protest, but he knows it's of no use. It never is with him and in a way, he's glad about that. 

“I love you too, Rhodey," he sniffs and wraps his arms around the other, hugging him tight enough to push back his tears. "I'm sorry for freaking out like this, I just don't want to mess up..."

Rhodey hugs him tightly back.

“That’s how I know you would never abuse Peter’s innocence and inexperience, because the idea that you could by accident is so upsetting,” he tells him softly.

"But... I already hurt him," Tony swallows and pulls back, dropping his head in shame. "I just pushed him away and ran without any explanation... how can he not be hurt by that? I... I didn't know what to do, I panicked..."

Rhodey looks at Tony, his baby, Tony will always be his baby. The first man he fell head over heels with, and the first man he had to let go. Tony was a wonderful bird and Rhodey couldn’t bare to clip his wings. Something in him now that’s dark whispers that he could keep Tony for himself now, he's vulnerable and in need of affection and it would be so easy to drive him away from Peter. But Rhodey loves Tony, he will always put making Tony happy over anything else. And he knows that Tony does love him back, that he still does love him romantically in his own way.  

“We will go see him now and you can apologise and we can work out what he wants,” he soothes. “And if he wants a relationship we can get him to take it a little slower, okay?”

Tony's heart starts beating faster again, he can't help it. He wraps his arms back around Rhodey and leans his head against his shoulder, swallowing down the lump in his throat. "You'll come with me, really?" he asks, knowing he's too scared to do this alone and at the same time feeling horribly guilty for making Rhodey do this. "You don't think he will be mad and hate me?"

Rhodey rubs his back. “Of course, whatever you need, baby,” he murmurs. He laughs at the question about Peter. “I doubt it, baby, I think it takes a lot to get that ball of sunshine angry.”

"Okay, if you say so," Tony mumbles and nods, pressing his face against Rhodey's shoulder for a moment before pulling back. "I don't even know what to tell him. 'Sorry, Pete, but I panicked and was scared when you kissed me so I did most mature thing and ran away'?" He feels so utterly stupid.

Rhodey kisses his hair. “You tell him the truth, baby, that’s what someone like Peter will value more than anything, you being emotionally honest and open with him,” he promises.

"I'll try," Tony says and nods slowly. If Rhodey says it's okay, Tony believes him. He knows what's best for him, he would never want Tony to be hurt. "Thank you for helping me, Rhodey..."

Rhodey kisses him gently. "Come on, baby, let’s go see him," he coaxes. "Friday, where’s Pete?"

"He's in the lab still."

"Thanks."

Tony slips off Rhodey's lap and takes one of his hands as they walk over to the elevator, just to reassure himself that he's there and that he's not alone. Tony didn't expect Peter to still be in the lab, not after what he did.   
  
When they step into the lab, Tony is stunned though and stands still, looking at Peter on his couch. His chest aches at the sight, at this wonderful sweet boy all curled up in his sweater. It's the cutest thing he can imagine.

Peter is half asleep, and wakes when he hears footsteps. He blinks awake and sees Tony and Colonel Rhodes, he blinks again. They are holding hands... does that mean...?   
  
Rhodey finds the sight cute too, it reminds him of finding Tony in his things. Peter has clearly done most of his growing, unlike 15 year old Tony who drowned in Rhodey's jumpers.   
"Go on," he coaxes gently, squeezing Tony's hand.

Tony nods and steps forward, his hand slipping out of Rhodey's and nervousness taking back over. He can barely look at Peter, his gaze keeps dropping and his voice is anything but confident. "I... I need to apologize, Pete," he says, scratching his arm. "I shouldn't have run away like that, I'm sorry... I didn't mean to... be so rude or... hurt you..."

Tony looks, nervous, god, he can't even look at him, can he. He's so full of nerves he's hiding his face. It's so strange to see Tony Stark like this, he's really just Tony in this moment. Peter swallows.

"It's okay, I... I wasn't exactly any more polite. I should have stopped when I saw how uncomfortable you were getting, that was pretty shitty, sorry," he says softly.

Tony bites his lip and slowly shakes his head.    
"It wasn't shitty," he mumbles, cheeks flushing slightly. "It was nice, I just... panicked. I don't want you to think this... this is because of you, it's really not..." He knows he sounds utterly stupid right now and shoots Rhodey a scared, embarrassed look, not sure how to explain what happened without making Peter feel bad.

Rhodey sees the look and steps forward, hand settling on Tony's lower back and rubbing a gentle circle. "Just be honest, Tones," he murmurs softly.    
  
Peter watches the interaction with surprise. The way he looks at Rhodey for reassurance and the way he steps up to comfort him.

Tony swallows, Rhodey's soothing touch helping him to calm his nerves at least enough to turn back around. 

"This... this sounds stupid, I know, but... I really like you, Pete and... I'm scared to fuck this up." He sounds way more insecure than he's used to and he hates that he can't stop it. "I... I don't want to hurt you and I'm scared I will..."

Tony is opening up in a way Peter has seen him never do before, and go he both looks and sounds so insecure. But, god, that such a sweet reason.

"Oh," he breathes softly. "If anyone could fuck it up it would be me, I haven't really done this before, and I'm pretty stupid still," he mumbles. "I… I really don't want to hurt you either,"

Tony shakes his head again, clenching his hands to fists at his sides. "You're not stupid, Pete, you... you're not," he says quietly. "I'm the stupid one here. I know I shouldn't want you the way I do, it just shows that I'm not a good person..." 

Just looking at Peter now, in his sweet innocence that makes his heart flutter makes Tony realize how fucked up it is of him to want him. Something is so terribly wrong with him, it just has to be.

Hearing Tony talk like that breaks Peter's heart and he crosses the room. He hugs Tony carefully. 

"At first I just had a crush on Tony Stark like I always had, but now... I like you, Tony, and that's the same for you, right?" he asks a little scared of the answer. "What I look like comes second to who I am."

Tony tenses unwillingly at the hug. It feels so nice, fuck, it feels too nice and good. 

"I... I like you too, Peter," he swallows and turns his head. "But... you're 15, I... I'm scared I'll mess this up, that I mess... mess you up, like me. I'm not good with feelings, fuck, I suck at them, just ask Rhodey... I couldn't stand hurting you, I just couldn't..."

Peter appreciates the arms around him even if they don't hold him tight. The way he says to ask Rhodey is a little strange so he ignores it for the moment. He gently kisses Tony's cheek. 

"Well, I really like you, so rejecting me is still going to really hurt me," he says softly.

Tony tries so hard to not sigh at the soft kiss but he can't help it, or that he leans into it unconsciously. He doesn't want to hurt Peter by rejecting him, he doesn't want to hurt him at all, but he doesn't know what to do anymore, he just doesn't. 

"I'm sorry, Pete, I... I don't want you to be hurt..." God, what is he supposed to do? No matter which direction he goes, he will hurt this sweet and wonderful boy he wants to protect...

Rhodey can see from his voice and words that Tony is near a break down again. He puts a hand on his shoulder and rubs it.

"It's going to be okay, Tony, why don't you and Pete sit down, and talk about you would want from a relationship?” he coaxes voice soft.

Tony looks at Rhodey and then back at Peter, nodding slowly. They need to do that, they need to talk about this. It's okay, he... he can do that. If Peter wouldn't wear his hoodie it might be easier, he just looks too perfect and cute in it, it makes Tony's heart ache whenever he looks at him. 

"Do you... want to talk about this?" Tony asks carefully, glancing over at the couch. Sitting down sounds so good, especially with his legs nearly giving in under him.

Peter nods. "Yeah, I... I'd like to, rushing in with sex, probably wasn't my best idea," he admits softly.    
  
Rhodey rubs Tony's back, he feels like this will be Tony's relationship that will last. He knows how well they click. So he has to let go of Tony properly. It hurts more than it would a day ago. He got an hour of having his baby boy back and now he has to give him up so he can be happy. 

"You're going to do great, Tones, just deep breathes, and tell the truth, okay?" he tells him softly as he steps back to leave.

Tony's chest tightens and he immediately grabs for Rhodey's wrist, holding him back. 

"Don't!" he gasps, eyes wide at the realization that he's about to leave. "Please... don't go... I... I can't..." He swallows and his eyes tear up again. This isn't what he wants, now he's gonna hurt Rhodey - and did already, he knows it - and that's just as bad as hurting Peter. "James, please..."

Rhodey steps forward, he can't ever resist Tony when he uses his first name. He hugs Tony cradling his head. 

"Shhh, Tones," he murmurs. "I have to go, you need to be able to do this yourself with Peter if you want to be a couple. You two click so well, and I know you'll take good care of him," he tells him softly. "So, I have to go.’   
  
Peter watches as Tony grasps onto Rhodey, he watches as the man hugs Tony, almost, cradles him. He sees the pain in the man's eyes that he is hiding so well in his voice and face, but that shines through his eyes.

Tony sniffs and leans into Rhodey's hug, tears rolling down his face. "I don't want to lose you, James," he whispers, just the thought so painful he can barely process it. Who will protect him when he's gone? Rhodey understands him, he knows him better than anyone else ever could, he can't lose him, he couldn't be happy knowing he lost him like that. "I'm sorry I keep hurting you, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

Rhodey's heart is cracking. "You're not losing me, I'll always be here for you, you are my best friend, Tones, and you always will be, I promise," he murmurs. "And you aren't hurting me," he lies. God he hates lying to Tony. "I want to see you happy, Tony, that's what makes me happy, okay?" he says softly. "You and Pete are such a good pair, and I'll always be here when you need me, promise."

Tony shakes his head, clinging to Rhodey desperately. "I can't be happy without you..." he sniffs, unable to let go. "Who will protect me from myself when you're gone? Who will tell me it's okay the way you can? Who will... who will make me feel safe and cared for..." 

It's so selfish, but he can't stand the thought of Rhodey being hurt and he knows he is, even if he doesn't say it. They've been through so much together, it just wouldn't be the same...

Rhodey's heart is breaking and he tries to keep his voice steady. 

"You've been doing those things yourself, or g-getting them from other people for a while Tony, and I will always be here for you as your friend," he says but his voice shakes a little. It isn't steady at all. "It's no different from when you were exclusive with Pepper."

Tony knows it's different, even if it doesn't look like it. He wasn't this vulnerable with Pepper, he didn't need Rhodey as much as he does now. 

"You promised to always keep me safe," he whispers so quiet that only Rhodey can hear him. "That first time, you promised you'd never let anyone hurt me... I need you, James, I... I'm scared and I need you, please... please don't push me away..."

Rhodey's eyes fill with tears, why does Tony have to make it so hard? He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath of Tony's smell, he always smells so nice.

"Please don't make this harder, baby, I, you... you can't have both okay?" he say softly. "I… I know you feel vulnerable and scared, but it's, it's going to be okay, Peter will be able to look after you, okay?" he whispers a tear rolling down his cheek, "So, don't make this harder for me than it is, please, baby.”

"I'm sorry, I... I didn't want to hurt you and now I did, I'm sorry, James," Tony cries, burying his face against the others chest. This is not what he wanted, this... this isn't what he can do. He can't live without Rhodey... "Please don't be mad at me, I... I can't have you be mad at me... I'm sorry..."

Rhodey's heart clenches as Tony sobs. "I'm not mad, never mad at you Tony, shhh, it's okay," he murmurs. "You were always meant to fly, I couldn't clip your wings just to keep you," he murmurs. He's crying too, but silently. "It's okay, you want to be with Peter and I want you to be happy, so you gotta see that this is okay, Tony, I want you to be happy baby boy, s-so," his voice stutters at the end. "So, you be a good boy for me one last time and go be happy with Peter, okay?"   
  
Peter is so confused, is Tony in a relationship with Rhodey, or was he? He doesn't understand. 'You can't have both' Rhodey said, did he mean that Tony can't have Rhodey and Peter? And Rhodey so willing to make himself suffer for Tony, it's so sad and utterly beautiful.

Tony can't stop crying, but he doesn't want to make this even more difficult and hurt Rhodey even more. He can't make this worse. 

"I... I'll be good, I promise," he sniffs and wipes his eyes slowly. When he feels Rhodey's arms pull back, his chest tightens again, but this time he doesn't force him to stay. "I'm sorry for making this so messy..."

Rhodey just wants to take Tony into his arms and kiss him. Tell him that he loves him more than Peter ever could, and that he will always be there, and that this time, it will be different, just the two of them will be enough. 

“I know you will, baby, you’re always so good for me,” he whispers, stepping back. He has to turn and not look back.   
  
Peter sees how upset Tony is and he hates it. He still doesn’t really understand the situation but…

“Before you leave, could someone explain what is going on because I don’t want to hurt either of you and I have no idea what’s happening.”

"It's... it's complicated," Tony says quietly, noticing how Rhodey stopped. God, how can he explain this to Peter? He won't understand, he knows it and he doesn't know how to even start with this. Asking Rhodey to explain is selfish, he's just as upset as Tony is, if not more. What is he supposed to do now?

Rhodey doesn’t want to explain, if he thinks too much about the origins of this moment he might never stop crying. He wipes his eyes,   
“It’s okay, kid, you and Tony are going to be great together,” he promises.   
  
Peter can’t except that as an answer.   
“No, you are both hurting! Are... are you together? I don’t want to break that up, I-“

“Look kid, don’t make this harder!” Rhodey snaps suddenly voice full of heartbreak.

Tony flinches at Rhodey's angry and utterly hurt voice and steps up to Peter, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder. 

"It's okay, Pete, really," he says with a thick, quiet voice. "I'll explain, but... let him go, please." He turns around to Rhodey, unable to hide the pain in his eyes when he nods at him. "I'm sorry, James, I... I'll take care of this..." He doesn't want to watch him leave, but it's better, as much as it hurts.

This isn’t what Peter wants. “I don’t want to hurt you!” he snaps at Tony. “But you are already making me do it, because of me he has to leave and I don’t understand why?” He snaps. “You’re both talking over my head and assuming you know what I want! Why are you just assuming that I would only want monogamy without asking?!”    
  
Rhodey freezes at those words.

Tony's eyes widen and he stares at Peter in complete disbelief. Did he just hear that right?   
"You... you don't?" he asks quietly, almost scared of the answer. "But, I... I can't have... both..." Shit, he's tearing up again and he can't do anything to stop it. Tony just wants to drop to the floor and cry and scream, this doesn't make sense, none of this makes sense anymore and he hates it. He presses a hand against his eyes, letting out a horrible sob.

Peter is still frustrated. “No, he said that he didn’t ask me!” Peter exclaims. “I am not against polyamory, sure, I’ve never done it, but I haven’t done monogamy either!” He continues. Then he sees the sob and his heart cracks. God it’s so clear that Tony loves Rhodey, but he’d give him up to just have Peter?    
“Get over here,” he snaps at Rhodey, gently touching Tony’s shoulder.   
  
Rhodey can’t really understand what’s happening.   
“Kid, you can’t say stuff like that you, don’t know what you are asking!” He exclaims.

“No more than I do from monogamy!” Peter snaps back. “Now get over here before I web you over!”

Tony can't take this, he can't take Rhodey and Peter being so angry just because of him. He shouldn't be so selfish, he ruins everything just because he can't make a decision and it feels like he's torn apart. He jerks away from Peter's touch before they can actually start fighting and stumbles away, but not towards Rhodey. If it wasn't for him they wouldn't be angry, they wouldn't be mad. This is all his fault, he can't do this.

Rhodey sees how distressed Tony is. Peter couldn't fix this situation by himself anyway.   
“You’re serious?” He confirms.

“Yes!” Peter snaps.   
  
Rhodey strides over to Tony and catches him in his arms. “I’ve got you baby,” and words similar to those he used after a big scene slip out of his mouth. “Shhh, baby boy, I’m sorry, there won’t be anymore shouting and me and Peter will be right here,” he promises. Peter gets the message and hurries over and rubs Tony’s back.

Tony's heart aches and he clings to Rhodey, sobbing uncontrollably. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to make you angry, I'm sorry..." he cries, even more so when he feels Peter's hand on his back too. "I'm selfish and horrible and I can't stand seeing you angry, I'd rather go than make it all worse. This isn't fair, for none of you..."

Rhodey gives Peter a look that he thinks means to hug him, so he does. He watches as Rhodey strokes Tony’s hair and kisses his forehead. Tony relaxes under his hands like he knows just how to touch him. 

“We’ve got you and we aren’t angry,” Rhodey promises and gives Peter a look.

“I’m not angry Tony, not really, I just got frustrated sorry for shouting,” Peter promises.

Tony sniffs and looks up at Rhodey, a mixture of relief and shame in his eyes. "I don't want you to do anything that hurts you, I promise," he whispers sadly. "I don't want any of you to be hurt... not because of me..."

Rhodey strokes his hair. “I know, sweet boy, you’re a good boy, we know that, it’s okay,” he murmurs.    
  
Peter swallows and rubs Tony’s stomach. “I know you didn’t mean to upset me, it’s okay,” he agrees softly.

Tony swallows and turns to Peter, tears shimmering in his eyes. 

"I didn't mean to run away, I just didn't know what to do..." He doesn't want Peter to think this was because of him or that he wouldn't like him that way. "You're so good, Pete, I... I don't want to break that..."

Peter keeps rubbing a soft circle into Tony’s stomach. “I know, it’s okay, Tony,” he says softly.    
  
Rhodey kisses Tony's hair. “Why don’t we go upstairs and have something to drink and eat, and then we will all feel better, okay?” he murmurs.

A drink really sounds like something Tony needs right now, so he nods and carefully pulls a bit away from Rhodey. He's all over the place and his hands are shaking, but when he looks up there's no anger in their eyes, which makes it a little better.

“I could need a drink right now," he admits with a weak smirk. "Or a few."

Rhodey laughs and kisses his cheek. “No alcohol,” he states. “We all need to be sober for this discussion,” he says seriously. “Plus, you remind me way too much of 16 year old you right now,” he teases.

Tony can't help but pout at that. "16 year old me got drunk too, in case you forgot that already!" he says stubbornly. Then, he suddenly turns around to Peter with a stern look. "You didn't hear what I just said, just so we're clear," he orders strictly. "No getting drunk for you."

Peter laughs at the shift in attitude. "That seems unfair," he says, raising his eyebrow. 

Rhodey laughs. "I did make Tony stay home the first time he got drunk, that’s really the most important thing, to get drunk the first time with someone you trust.”


	3. Chapter 3

 

"Come ON, Rhodey!" Tony all but whines and clenches his fists. "We're in college and this is the first party I can go to! I want to get drunk finally, it's not like I want to kill anyone!" This isn't fair, Rhodey is his friend, he shouldn't be such a spoilsport. Yeah, he's 15, so what? It's just a college party, not Vegas!

Rhodey gives him a stern look.    
"No, you are absolutely not getting drunk for the first time at a frat party," Rhodey tells him sternly. "It's illegal for me to drink, but you are 15, it’s so illegal it isn't even funny."

"Great, so I'm going to spend my whole college experience without ever getting drunk then!" Tony complains and throws his hands up frustrated. "So you ARE babysitting me, I knew it! Just say it! Say I'm a fucking baby who can't handle getting drunk!"

Rhodey huffs. He understands the frustration Tony must feel and so he gives in.

  
"Look I wouldn't let anyone get drunk for the first time at a frat party!" he exclaims. He sighs.   
"If you really want to get drunk, we can do it here," he concedes.

Tony is about to say something when he registers his friend's words and instead blinks surprised. "R-Really?" he asks. "You'd let me get drunk... here? With you?"

Rhodey gives him a look. "Yes, I got drunk when I was 16, so I can't really talk, and… I really don't want you to go behind my back. I know those parties seem really fun, but they can be dangerous too, okay? Especially when you don't know your limits.”

Now Tony feels bad for shouting and being angry. Rhodey just wants to keep him safe, not ruin his fun. He drops his shoulders, giving his friend an ashamed look. 

"I'm sorry, Rhodey... I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. And to be honest, I'd rather... get drunk with you the first time than around strangers." He knows Rhodey would never hurt him, but he's not so sure about others.

Rhodey opens his arms offering the other boy a hug. "It's okay buddy," he says softly. "I know you hate when people treat you like a kid.”

Tony happily steps forward and lets Rhodey hug him, even if he usually doesn't like hugs, his friend's are always great. "I didn't mean to shout, I'm sorry," he says, hugging Rhodey tight. "Thank you for letting me do this with you."

Rhodey smiles. "It will be fun, no need to thank me, just promise no sneaking off to parties, okay?" he tells him softly.

"Not without you," Tony chuckles and nuzzles his face against Rhodey's shoulder. "I doubt it would be fun alone anyway. You always make everything better."

Rhodey smiles and ruffles Tony's hair.    
"I have more fun with you too buddy,"

\----

It is a few days later when Rhodey returns to their dorm room, puts his backpack on his bed and pulls out several bottles of alcohol.

Tony sits over the last page of his homework when Rhodey walks in and his eyes widen when the older boy starts emptying his backpack. 

"Woah, cool!" he gasps. "You really did it..." He's gonna get drunk, with Rhodey. He shouldn't be so excited about that but he surely is. "Can we do it today?" Tony asks, eyes sparkling when he looks at his friend.

Rhodey laughs. "Of course, but we have to finish our work first, you won't feel like working if you have a hangover tomorrow," he tells him.

Tony chuckles and quickly jumps up to hug Rhodey before he bounces back to his desk to finish his homework. He's excited and happy to be able to do something grown-ups can do and he can do it with his best friend of all people! It's gonna be so much fun, he just knows it.

The happy hug melts his heart, he hugs back. He puts the bottles in his bedside table just in case someone was to come in. He and Tony check the answers to their physics coursework. At seven Rhodey smiles.

"Wanna order pizza?" he asks smiling.

"Yes!" Tony exclaims and smiles brightly. They're gonna have pizza too, awesome! After they ordered and waited for it to arrive they eat and Tony can barely hold in his excitement anymore. "Is it really fun to be drunk?" he asks curiously, looking at Rhodey over his pizza.

Rhodey shrugs. "Some people find it fun, some people not," he says smiling. "There is also a fun point, and then after that point it less fun, so it is good to know what gets you fun drunk," he states. He leans over and gets the alcohol. He pours out two shots before handing one glass to Tony.   
"Don't drink it too fast okay?"

Tony nods and takes the glass, eyeing it closely. He sniffs on it, making a face and then takes a small sip. It doesn't taste as bad as it smells, but delicious is something different. After a moment, he takes a bigger sip, one that makes his throat burn slightly. 

"Doesn't taste like I expected," he says and coughs once, smacking his chest. "Damn. It's sharp..."

Rhodey slides the coca cola over. "Try mixing it with this," he suggests smiling at the face he makes. It isn't as disgusting as it could be.

After mixing the alcohol with some coke the taste gets a little better and Tony empties his glass rather quickly. 

"My stomach feels warm," he chuckles. It's a weird feeling, but not uncomfortable. He kinda likes it.

Rhodey nods. "It will feel like that," he says pouring another shots worth in. "Tell me when you start to feel it okay?"

With the second shot, Tony wants to be brave, so he puts the glass to his lips and just pours it all down, immediately grabbing for the coke to wash down the burning feeling and the taste. He gasps audibly when he's done and shudders, shaking his head. 

"Fuck, I don't know how dad can do that without drinking coke after..." he says, his voice slightly raspy.

Rhodey thinks that sentence is very telling about Howard Stark, but he doesn't comment. Instead, he smiles. 

"You're pretty small, so you gotta wait a bit before you have any more okay?" he tells him before taking a third shot himself.

Tony grins and nods, watching Rhodey empty his third shot. He can definitely feel... something, but it's not very strong. His stomach is still warm and tingles slightly and the burning in his throat has changed into a pleasant warmth too. 

"This is already fun," he smiles and takes another sip from his coke. "Much better than a dumb party."

Rhodey smiles. "I do generally like hanging out with my friends more," he says. "A lot of people at parties suck."

"Can we still go to one sometime?" Tony asks as Rhodey fills their glasses again, both this time. "I don't know if I really wanna go alone, I don't know anyone here, I would feel better if I were with you..."

Rhodey would never let Tony attend his first party alone. "Sure," he answers, smiling. "Halloween is soon, we could go to one of those," he suggests.

"Oh yes!" Tony grins, taking his glass and emptying it again, followed by a large gulp of coke. "I've never been to a Halloween party before! My dad never lets me attend his because they're 'for adults only'," he adds, saying the last words while rolling his eyes annoyed.

Tony is so utterly sweet. "Well, they are, but" he shrugs, "So is uni, so I think you can count as an adult," he smiles. "Girls tend to get a lot more undressed than usual on Halloween.”

Tony chuckles and blushes slightly, without registering it. "I saw some of that," he admits. "I sneaked into one of my dad's parties once and some of them were almost naked. Luckily Jarvis caught me and not dad, that would've been really bad."

Rhodey is not surprised, he doesn't comment on the fact that college girls not trying to seduce Howard Stark will wear a little more generally.   
"Close one," he says nodding. He pushes the pizza over. "Eat some more," he orders.

Tony isn't really hungry, but he takes another slice of pizza anyway. Rhodey will know why he tells him to eat, so he does it. 

"You said you got drunk before, right? Were you alone or with friends too?"

Rhodey smiles. "I got drunk with a few high school friends on my 16th birthday, mine was first, so that’s when I first got drunk," he explains.

"Cool," Tony grins, munching on his pizza. "Did you feel all warm too? It's spreading... you know, into my arms and legs. It feels funny." Tony likes it and he likes that he's with Rhodey too. It makes this so much better.

Rhodey smiles, god he describes it in such a sweet way. He nods. "You are gonna start to feel a little tipsy soon by the sounds of it," he takes another shot himself to catch up.

Tony is excited and finishes his pizza quickly. Rhodey is older and bigger than him, so he needs more alcohol to get onto his level obviously, but Tony doesn't mind. He wants them both to enjoy it, not be the only one. 

"I can't wait to know how that feels," he grins happily.

Rhodey pours Tony another. "Have this and then we will wait a little," he tells him. He takes two himself and leans back against his bed.

Tony empties his glass too and then sits down next to Rhodey, resting his head against his friend's shoulder. It's comfy and nice and after a few minutes, he starts feeling something different. 

"My head feels... lighter," he says, narrowing his eyes. "And my face is all warm." He cups his cheeks, feeling the heat against his palms.

Rhodey laughs at the way Tony cups his own cheeks. "You’re tipsy," he tells him, ruffling his hair, the drink having loosened him up a little. He gets a glint in his eyes. "So, earlier I saw you talking to that girl after chem 1," he says, grinning as he remembers the flush on Tony's cheeks.

Tony chuckles and his cheeks flush again like before. 

"Yeah, Sarah," he says with a cheeky grin. "She's pretty nice, but she talks sooooo much, I could barely get a word out."

Rhodey nudges him with his elbow. "You like her?" he asks, putting heavy emphasis on the word. He already found out that she was a one-year early admission and is 17.

"I think so, but... not in that way," Tony says and shrugs. Sarah is a nice girl and she's fun, but he's not really 'into' her like that. "She's too dominant for my taste I think. And so tall!"

Rhodey laughs at the answer. "What's wrong with dominant?" he asks, pauses and then says, "I guess in her case if you like talking it might be a problem.”

"Nothing's wrong with dominant, but I don't really like girls who would probably push me around outside of the bedroom," Tony shrugs and leans forward to take a sip of his coke. "And I don't want to look like a kid next to one, you know? That's embarrassing..."

Rhodey nods, that does make sense. "You had a girlfriend before?" he asks curiously, "Or a boyfriend?" he follows up with smiling.

Tony gives Rhodey a look and shakes his head.    
"If you don't count the robots I build as boyfriends or girlfriends, then no," he huffs. "Hard to meet someone when you're constantly watched as soon as you leave the house." Not that he minds, he only really started having any interest like that about a year ago anyway.

Rhodey nods. "You must be over the moon to be here," he says. He laughs. "Think how angry our fathers would be about this," he says, "I think they were counting on us hating each other and snitching on each other." He remembers the tone of surprise in his father’s voice when he said he liked Tony.

"Yeah, I bet that's what they expected," Tony chuckles and leans closer against Rhodey's shoulder. "But I like it here and I like you. It's nice having a friend who isn't paid to be around me or who's not a servant."

Rhodey heart breaks at those words, he rests his head on top of Tony's, arm wrapping around his shoulder. "I like you too, Tones," he says smiling.

Tony smiles and leans into the embrace, all warm and comfortable like this. It's really nice at college, but it wouldn't be as nice without Rhodey. "You think I can have another? I like feeling like that."

Without thinking Rhodey presses a kiss against his hair before grabbing the bottle. "One mouthful only," he tells him as he passes it to him.

Tony smiles and takes the bottle, actually just taking a mouthful despite wanting more and then quickly shakes his head before handing it back to Rhodey. He giggles and leans against his shoulder again. 

"You're the coolest guy I ever met," he says with a hushed voice due to the slight burn in his throat he didn't wash down.

Rhodey laughs. "Well, I'd hate to argue with Tony Stark," he teases, smiling as he takes the bottles and takes a swing himself.

"Yeah, you better not!" Tony grins and nudges Rhodey's arm. "I'm a genius! You can only lose an argument with me."

Rhodey laughs, god the kid is a cute drunk. "Sure Tones," he says. "A genius, that's why you set your toast on fire two days ago.”

Tony pouts and crosses his arms. "That wasn't my fault, the toaster messed up," he says with a huff. "And geniuses do such things, their brains can't focus on small stuff like that when they're busy with bigger things."

Rhodey laughs. "It is the details that matter, Tones," he tells him, ruffling his hair. "But I guess you should be glad you have a lesser mind here to take care of you."

"You're not a lesser mind," Tony says sternly and looks up at Rhodey, frowning. He doesn't know why he keeps saying stuff like that when it's not true. "You wouldn't be here if you wouldn't be smart. And I like you taking care of me..."

Rhodey laughs and ruffles his hair. “That’s sweet of you to say,” He says, shrugging. “I like looking after you,” he agrees kissing Tony’s forehead.

Tony feels a strange tingling in his chest when Rhodey kisses his forehead and looks at him surprised and slightly confused. Is this from the alcohol? Or is it something else? 

"Rhodey?" he asks quietly, cheeks flushing a darker shade of pink. "Can you do that again?"

Tony looks so pretty flushed pink, Rhodey can’t deny the sweet quiet request.

“Of course,” he murmurs and kisses his forehead again. He thinks Tony might be starved of casual touch with no friends and a terrible father. He’s happy to make Tony happy.

It happens again and Tony smiles at how nice it is, how it makes the warmth a bit more and turns the tingle into a weak sting. 

"That feels nice," he says quietly, leaning against Rhodey's chest, arms wrapping around him. "I like it when you do that..."

Rhodey smiles as Tony snuggles up to him. He’s so glad they are doing his together here. Tony can snuggle him all he wants and be safe. He kisses his forehead again.

“I’ll spoil you for now,” he teases.

Tony chuckles and smiles happily, nuzzling his face against Rhodey's chest. He doesn't want to do this with anyone else and he's so glad that his friend lets him do this and is so nice. 

"You asked me if I ever had a boyfriend or girlfriend before... did you?" he asks after a while, curious and the alcohol helping him lose some of his shyness.

Rhodey smiles. “Had a girlfriend when I was 17 for a while, wasn’t very serious, just a bit of fun for both of us,” he explains, resting his chin on Tony’s head.

"I bet it was still nice," Tony says quietly and sighs. "Having someone to talk to and be close to and kiss... that's pretty nice." He doesn't like that he never got a chance like this and now that he has it, everyone is older than him and always treat him like a kid, even if he tries to flirt with them. It's frustrating.

Rhodey kisses his forehead again. “You’ll find someone you can have that with, don’t worry,” he reassures gently. “You’re very cute.”

Tony knows Rhodey just wants to be nice, but he knows he'll always be 'the kid'. 

"Maybe when I'm 30 and people stop thinking they're talking to a dumb toddler," he says, sounding more bitter than sad. "Cute is nice for girls, but for guys? That's just not helping..."

Rhodey chuckles. “You’ll probably only have to wait until you are 20, he reassures. “Anyway lots of people like cute,” he reassures. ‘Some people like it too much,’ he thinks, remembering the TA from the first day. “Trust me.”

Tony lets out a frustrated sigh and buries his face against Rhodey's chest. "I don't wanna wait til I'm 20 to kiss someone!" he complains, knowing that now he does sound like a bratty child. "That's embarrassing! If I'm that cute and people like that why can't it happen now?"

Rhodey laughs. “Hey, I just meant 20 till people treat you like an adult in general,” he reassures.   
“You’ll get to kiss someone before then, promise,” he says, rubbing his back.

Tony sighs and turns his head, looking up at Rhodey. 

"Is it nice?" he asks curiously, blushing at the fact that he even asks such a dumb question. "Kissing, I mean..."

Rhodey shrugs and smiles. “Depends who you are kissing. I’ve had kisses I did not enjoy, either because I didn’t like the other or they were an awful kisser.”

Tony sits up, cheeks burning right pink and his hands pressed against his lap. 

"What if... I'm an awful kisser too?" he asks quietly, not looking at his friend. "I don't wanna be a bad kisser, that sucks..."

The pink cheeks return just as cute as before.   
“You won’t be if you remember one rule okay?” He tells him solemnly. “Kissing is all about lips, tongue is a nice addition, but it’s an addition, don’t just shove it in, okay?”

Tony scowls, that sounds like something he's never going to get right. He's good with formulas and calculations, but this? 

"I'm gonna be so bad or just freeze," he sighs and shakes his head. "Maybe it's better if I do wait till I'm 30... I guess then it won't be worse than admitting I never kissed before."

Rhodey laughs. “You’ll be fine, you’re a genius remember?” he teases gently.

"Yeah, maybe..." Tony looks at the bottle in front of them and takes it, getting another mouthful of it and then a second before he puts it down and reaches for the coke. It's burning in his throat extremely now, but once it reaches his stomach it turns into a pleasant warmth. When he leans back against Rhodey, he's tingling all over. "If I weren't like, five, would you ever kiss me?" he asks quietly, only now realizing that he drank more to be brave enough to ask this question in the first place.

Rhodey smiles at him. “You’re only three years younger than me, it’s no big deal,” he says, shrugging. As for the question about kissing, he isn’t sure what to say. “If you wanted me too,” he settles on.

Tony blushes harder and hides his face. 

"I... I kinda do," he admits shy, feeling really dumb saying this. Rhodey is his friend, he shouldn't want that, but he can't help it. "I'm sorry..."

Tony is so cute he’s dying. He hums and strokes a hand through his hair. 

“If you can walk in a straight line, you’re sober enough for me to kiss you,” he tells Tony. “We don’t want you to forget or regret your first kiss,” he tells him sternly.

"I can!" Tony says and pushes himself up to prove it. He's tipsy, yes, but he can still stand, so that's good. He looks down at the floor, squinting his eyes and makes a few steps forward. It looks straight to him, whatever that has to say. "See? I'm not... drunk drunk," he says and turns around, looking at Rhodey.

Rhodey hums, but the enthusiasm and the adorable determination got the best of him. They are both tipsy and he wants to kiss Tony, with him his first kiss will be good, he will he treated right.

“Come here,” he says beckoning.

Tony walks back over to Rhodey, nearly dropping to his knees in front of him. He can hear his heart beat faster at how much he wants this to happen and since they gotta be close, he crawls onto his lap. 

"Don't be mad if I'm not good at it," he says quietly, scared that he will really turn out to be a bad kisser in the end. But he wants this, he wants his first kiss to be nice and special and he knows with Rhodey it will be.

Rhodey doesn't expect Tony to crawl into his lap, but he isn't going to complain to have the beautiful boy in his lap. He strokes his hair, cupping the back of his head.

"You won't be, I'll take you through it," he reassures smiling gently at him. "First you gotta tilt your head to one side.”

Tony does as he's told, glad that Rhodey doesn't mock him or belittles him. He likes being close to the other and he waits patiently for whatever is going to happen next. He's so nervous but also utterly excited.

Rhodey smiles, he guides Tony closer so their faces are very close. "Just a little kiss first, see how you like it," he murmurs before pressing their lips together for several seconds.

Tony's heart jumps with excitement when their lips touch. He doesn't move because he is simply too surprised at how nice it feels to do that, but it's amazing nonetheless. His head spins a little, but not in a bad way and his stomach feels like it's making a backflip and when Rhodey pulls back, Tony just looks at him with big, wide eyes, not knowing what to say.

Rhodey smiles at the look on Tony’s face, he clearly loves it. “Open your lips when I run my tongue across them, okay?” he coaxes softly.

Tony nods, his heart beating extremely fast when Rhodey kisses him again, longer this time. It feels like there are a million little ants in his stomach and when he can feel the other's tongue against his lips, he carefully parts them, almost desperate to know how it's going to be.

Tony’s lips are so soft and wonderful and he’s so obedient and sweet. Rhodey’s tongue barely enters his mouth, just touching Tony’s tongue. He runs a hand through his hair and does it again.

Tony thinks he's going to melt and lets out a sigh against the other boy's lips. He can't help but close his eyes, only wanting to focus on how good this kiss and Rhodey's fingers in his hair make him feel. He had no idea he would love this so much, but it's incredible!

Rhodey pulls back. “Good?” he asks, breath ghosting over Tony’s lips. Tony looks so beautiful in that moment.

Tony lets out a small whimper at the question, his eyes fluttering open again. His pupils are blown and he looks completely stunned. 

"So good..." he whispers, so quiet it's like the words are barely there. "I love it..."

Rhodey can’t help but kiss him again, he looks so beautiful. His hand rubs the small of Tony’s back and runs through his hair as he kisses him again,   
“Told you, you’d be great,” he murmurs.

\---------------------

"Okay, stop! That's enough!" Tony hisses and presses a hand onto Rhodey's mouth to finally make him shut up. This was supposed to be a story about Tony's first time getting drunk, not about his first kiss. "Are you done embarrassing me?"

 

Rhodey grins up at Tony. Everyone was still feeling a little tense but after that Peter is certainly a lot happier at least. He kisses the hand over his mouth.   
  
Peter giggles at Tony desperately shutting Rhodey up, cheeks pink with embarrassment. “That’s so sweet,” He says softly. “How long did you kiss for?”

Tony blushes and sits back down, glaring at Rhodey without any real anger. 

"For... a while," he says, not looking at Peter. "Let's say I learned enough to not be awful at it that evening." What he doesn't say is that he acted like the typical horny little teenager and even got hard from it. That's something Peter doesn't have to know, it's even more embarrassing than the kissing story itself.

Peter smiles and giggles. “That really is a sweet first kiss story, Mr Stark,” he says, smiling. Tony looks so cute with a blush on his cheek. The hand is gone and Rhodey looks at Peter, grinning.

“He got hard and that made him really embarrassed-“

"RHODEY!" Tony barks, nudging his friend's side hard. God, can this get even worse? "Will you stop it already? Or do I have to tell Peter that you couldn't keep your hands to yourself while you kissed me after a while?"

Rhodey grins at Tony. “You should tell him, but you should emphases how much you enjoyed it,” he teases.    
  
Peter giggles as he watches the two men argue. He loves Tony’s pink cheeks and he wishes he could see the moment Tony was talking about,   
“I’d like to hear about that, where did he touch you Mr Stark?” He asks suddenly feeling bold.

Tony flashes Rhodey another glare, his face is almost as hot as it was that night. 

"And all that without a damn drink," he huffs and shakes his head. Well, it can't get much worse now, can it? "I did like it, yes. Kind of happens when you're touched like that the first time and are kissed, you know? And his hands were pretty much everywhere, I think I lost my shirt somewhere along the line too." Of course, he did, pretty fast actually, but he can at least pretend he wasn't the driving force behind it.

Peter licks his lips at the description of being touched ‘everywhere’. He wants to do that to Tony.   
  
Rhodey grins. “You really did lose it when I touched your ass, remember?” He asks voice low. “You gonna tell him what happened or do I have too?”

"You're walking on thin ice, James," Tony hisses, squinting his eyes. He still remembers this moment vividly, how Rhodey's hands had wandered down, shoving into his pants and squeezing his ass. He had moaned into their kiss at that, but that wasn't all that happened. "I made a bit of a mess, nothing more. Forget it."

Rhodey has the sudden urge to make Tony say it, to confess it to Peter. To show the younger how sweet Tony was. He kisses Tony, hot and dirty and when their lips part the are both panting.

“Be a good boy and look at Peter and tell him,” he growls.    
  
Peter watches the filthy kiss with pink cheeks. Made a mess? What does Tony mean?

Tony feels like his face is burning, but the way Rhodey talks to him has him weak all over. He turns to Peter, shame written all over his face.    
"I... I came in my pants when he touched me like that," he admits, swallowing hard. It was the first time he actually came and it had felt so overwhelming back then, he had actually started crying from it.

Rhodey kisses Tony’s neck. “That was your first orgasm ever wasn’t it, Tony?” he says, voice low. “Always to sensitive and scared to cum by yourself,” he reminds him.    
  
Peter’s cheeks flush at both of their words. God, Tony looks so hot with shame painting his cheeks.

Tony hates how easily Rhodey falls back into this way of talking to him, but it also makes him realize how much he actually missed this. 

"It was," he admits, wanting nothing more than to hide his face. Telling Peter those things makes him feel incredibly vulnerable and he knows he would never do that if it weren't for Rhodey. "I tried before, but... I always stopped because it felt like too much like I couldn't do it. And when it happened I... actually cried because it felt so good..."

Peter can hardly believe the words, it makes his cock throb at the thought. Sweet 15-year-old Tony, coming apart in Rhodey’s hands. 

“Wish I could have seen it,” he murmurs voice low.   
  
Rhodey grins at Peter. It’s nice to see they have similar tastes, clearly both agreeing that a flushed embarrassed Tony is an attractive one. 

“Why don’t you come over here Peter?” he suggests.

Tony swallows hard at Rhodey's words and he wants to protest, but then Peter stands up and walks over, sinking next to him on the couch and he forgets how to speak. What is Rhodey planning now? He looks back and forth between the two, confused and strangely aroused by the idea of being between them. Somehow he feels small, despite Peter being so much younger than him. It's really like he's 15 again, inexperienced and intimidated and he can't say that he doesn't find the thought thrilling.

Rhodey doesn’t really have a plan, more like an objective, make Tony cream his pants. 

“Why don’t you kiss him, Tony?” he suggests. “Show Peter you can be a good little boy?”   
  
God, Peter loves the words and their lightly degrading nature. He hopes Tony chooses to be good.

Tony can hardly swallow down the whining sound building up in his throat. He wants to be good, he always wanted to be good for Rhodey. And he wants to kiss Peter, make up for ruining their first kiss the way he did. He turns to Peter, seeing the hope and excitement in the boy's eyes and gently cups his face. 

"Do you... want me to kiss you, Pete?" he asks just to be sure, not wanting to do anything Peter doesn't want or that makes him uncomfortable.

Peter nods eagerly and swallows, he wants to touch him but he looks at Rhodey, uncertain if he’s allowed.    
  
“You can touch him, that’s what he wants,” Rhodey tells Peter. He strokes Tony’s back. “Show him how much you want him,” he coaxes softly. “Be a good boy for us.”

Tony's heart flutters when he leans forward, sealing Peter's lips with his own. It only takes a moment before he can feel one of Peter's hands on him and he shudders at the soft touch, sighing into the kiss. Rhodey's hand is still on his back, moving slowly and already making him tingle and he is so desperate for Peter to touch him too. His lips already feel so incredibly perfect against his own, it makes Tony practically melt against him.

Peter loves kissing Tony again, and his hand settles on Tony’s waist, to nervous to put it anywhere else yet. God Tony’s lips are so wonderful.    
  
Rhodey rubs circles into Tony’s back. “Good boy,” he murmurs.   
  
Suddenly, a timer goes off in the kitchen and everyone jumps.

Tony nearly forgot where he is before the timer startles them all and he pulls back from Peter with a little yelp at the surprise. His heart beats fast and when Peter takes his hands back and jumps up he already wants him to touch him again, which makes his cheeks flush hard once more. He doesn't know what just happened, just that he wants more of it and that he loved it.

Rhodey laughs, he kisses Tony’s neck. “Sit on Peter’s lap, baby, while I go deal with dinner,” he murmurs.   
  
Peter’s heart rate is still very high, due to his sense that was even louder to him. His breathing is still fast.

Tony looks at Peter and his heart throbs seeing him so startled. He lets go of Rhodey so he can get up and wraps his arms around the boy's neck, crawling into his lap and leaning against him.    
"It's okay, Pete," he whispers, kissing the boy's cheek. "Just our food, nothing dangerous..."

Tony is in his lap and oh wow it’s nice and it distracts his racing brain. His sense are all alerted, snapped to 11, so Tony smells so so good, and the weight of him feels so nice and he can hear Tony’s heartbeat.

Tony likes being this close to Peter, he feels nice and holding him calms him down too. He leans his head against Peter's shoulder, taking a deep breath. Damn, the boy even smells calming. "I'm sorry for dragging you into such a huge mess, Peter," he mumbles, not sure why he feels the need to apologize. "I'm sure this isn't what you wanted at all..."

Peter finds himself nuzzling into Tony's shoulder so he doesn't have to see anymore. "Want you," he mumbles. "I'm just happy you want me too."

Tony's heart aches at those words and he presses a tender kiss onto Peter's jaw. 

"Of course I do," he smirks. "You're the most gorgeous thing I've ever seen, there's no way I couldn't want you... I just wonder... what is it that you want exactly?" He hates asking, but they need to talk about this and maybe it's best if they do it alone. "Do you just... want sex or do you want something else?"

Tony's words makes him flush and bury his head deeper in his shoulder. His arms wrap around Tony gently. 

"I'd want a relationship with you," he pauses, "Are, are you and Rhodey in a relationship?" he asks softly.

God, Tony only realizes how badly he wanted to hear those words when they leave Peter's mouth. At the question though, he shifts uncomfortably.    
"We've always been together here and there, it's just... I don't know, I guess we have a relationship if you see it that way, but not... exclusive or anything. I'm sorry, I know this must be hard and uncomfortable for you..."

Peter nods and breathes in Tony's scent. “So, you got together when you went to MIT?" he asks, pretty sure that was the case and wanting to check.

Tony nods, blushing hard again. "We were roommates, our dads kind of set this up. I guess they expected us to hate each other, but Rhodey was really nice and I was only 15, so he kind of... took care of me and protected me." It feels weird saying that, given Peter is 15 too. But he has never been caged the way Tony had been, which makes it different in the end. "It was the first time I was on my own, so having Rhodey was... comforting. He made sure I don't get into too much trouble and, well... you know what happened then." He shrugs, figuring the story was self-explanatory.

It’s nice to know that at Uni Tony had someone to look out for him like that, to share his firsts with and to keep him safe.    
  
Peter pulls back to look up into his face, he glances to see Rhodey in the kitchen. "Do you love him?" he whispers softly.

Tony follows Peter's eyes and nods slowly. "I do, yes," he admits, knowing that's probably not what Peter wants to hear. "We have a special connection, I think. No one knows me like Rhodey does, he knows things about me I never told anyone else and... I still feel safe with him. It's been years since we've been physically close like that or even kissed but... it's still the same as it was in college."

Peter can see the love and affection in Tony’s eyes. “And you’d like to still be able to be with him in that way?” he asks softly, hands stroking Tony’s back.

Tony nods carefully and sighs. He's selfish, God, he knows he is, but he can't stand the thought of losing Rhodey, no matter how much he wants to be with Peter. 

"I'm sorry, I know I should be able to say I don't, but... I need him," he admits quietly. "If you don't want that I understand it, I... I don't want you to think you have to do this if you don't want it, I promise..."

Peter strokes his back. “I would want it to be exclusive between us three,” he says quietly, “But I’m fine with you being with Rhodey too. You love him, I wouldn’t ask you to give it up,”

Tony turns his head, giving Peter a cautiously hopeful look. "You... you wouldn't mind?" he asks, carefully and quiet. It's really not what he expected, he thought Peter would want him for himself, that he wouldn't want to share. "You wouldn't get angry or jealous if I'm with him?"

Peter kisses his cheek. “No, I mean, maybe, but mainly cause you guys have a lot history, so I might need reassurance you still want me sometimes but, if I know you want to make new memories with me... I don’t mind.”

"I would love to make new memories with you," Tony says quietly, cracking a weak smile. He can't believe how sweet and wonderful and accepting Peter is, he didn't expect this at all. "There is... something you need to know though... I'm... different when I'm with Rhodey..."

Peter smiles and rubs his back, he kisses his cheek. “Different how?” He asks softly.

"Well, you said you wanted me to... fuck you, right?" Tony says, scratching his neck awkwardly and giving the boy a smirk. "That's usually... not what I do with Rhodey. I'm more of a... bottom, I guess. It came kinda natural and it stuck." He doesn't know what Peter will think about this, he usually doesn't act like that at all, so he doubts it's what he expected.

Peter smiles and cups Tony’s face, he kisses him softly. “That’s fine,” He says and giggles. “I really don’t care about that stuff Tony, I’ve never done either. I just normally imagine you fucking me because you know what you are doing.”

Tony chuckles, both relieved and amused, and can't help but wrap an arm around Peter's waist.    
"I have to admit, you're very fuckable," he grins, kissing the boy back gently. It's nice kissing Peter, he's soft and sweet and it makes him utterly happy.

Peter laughs and kisses him back, enthusiastic and maybe with a little more tongue than needed. 

“Love birds, dinner is ready,” Rhodey calls, he’s looking at them smiling softly.

Tony kisses Peter for a few more seconds, smiling at just how eager the boy is. It's so utterly sweet. Then, he turns around, looking at Rhodey. 

"Glad you didn't forget how to cook, I'm starving," he says and slips off Peter's lap so they can all eat. This all feels too good to be true, but damn, he is happy. Tony sits at the head of the table and Rhodey and Peter on either side.    
  
Peter smiles at Rhodey shyly. He still feels a little intimidated by the other man. He digs into the pasta and moans. “This is great!”

Tony smiles and takes a bite himself, humming at just how good it tastes. "Perfect as always," he grins, winking at Rhodey. "You know, James was always the one to cook. He's just really good with it. I even managed to set my toast on fire once." He laughs at the memory, which is just too good not to mention at this point.

Rhodey laughs. “He set it on fire and then panicked, I had to put it out. Such a spoiled rich boy,” he tells Peter, rolling his eyes.   
  
Peter giggles. “How many embarrassing stories do you know about Tony?” He asks.    
  
Rhodey winks. “All of them,” He teases.

Tony lets out a warning growl, but then laughs unwillingly. Yes, Rhodey knows them all and there are stories so much worse than the toast one. He doesn't even mind Peter hearing them, those are still good memories, even if they are embarrassing.   
  
"You should write a book, Rhodes," Tony grins and takes another forkful of his pasta. "'How I Survived Tony Stark's College Years As His Roommate'."

Rhodey laughs. “Oh no, I couldn’t, Pepper would kill me. If your reputation isn’t already ruined it would be once the book published,” he teases. “So, no thanks,” he winks at Peter. “Plus it will be much more fun to just tell Peter.”

Tony glares at Rhodey and then glances over at Peter, swallowing dramatically. 

"I just remembered I have a very important meeting in Japan that will probably last for a few months," he says sternly. "And I need to finish MY book, 'My Roommate Was A Massive Sex Pervert Who Couldn't Keep His Hands Off Me'."

Rhodey laughs, throwing his head back. It is true, he can't deny it.    
  
Peter laughs, cheeks pink. "I've seen a few photos of you in college Mr Stark, so I can't really blame him for it."

Tony laughs and blushes slightly. "I wasn't ugly, that's true, but everyone pretty much treated me like a kid," he says, grinning and winking at Rhodey. "Everyone but him. Though, he still kind of acted like a nanny at times, which made it kind of hard to find anyone to hook up with."

Rhodey rolls his eyes. “The only reason people weren’t constantly throwing themselves at you was because I was beating them away with a stick,” he says.   
  
“That’s sweet that you protected him,” Peter says, smiling.

"Yeah, it's your fault I didn't get laid any sooner!" Tony huffs with a squint of his eyes, nudging Rhodey's arm sharply. "I kept flirting and the next day everyone suddenly avoided me. Wasn't very reassuring, let me tell you that." Now he knows why Rhodey did that of course, but back then it was just awful because he had tried SO hard at times and it never worked out.

Rhodey does still feel a little bad about it. “None of them were good enough,” he states firmly. “They were just after it for the bragging rights.”   
  
Peter tilts his head to the side. “So, how did he stop you getting laid?” he asks.   
  
“At first, veiled threats after Tony had left,” he said shrugging.

Tony huffs and finishes his plate before shooting Rhodey a look. 

"Until he literally ripped a guy off of me at a party," he snarls. "That was really embarrassing, trust me. One second I'm making out with this guy and the next I see Rhodey grabbing him by the neck and yanking him off of me."

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: For threatened Non Con (but the character has no intention to actually ever go through with it, it is a threat made to prove a point).  
> Discussion of consent, and when/if a character violated someone's consent by kissing them

Rhodey looks around the room. He knows that about ten minutes ago Tony was sitting on the sofa, talking to some other people.   
  
It’s just after Christmas, by now he and Tony have been to quite a few parties together, and Rhodey trusts Tony to be smart so he doesn’t stick to him like glue, just keeps a general eye on him. He takes a deep breath and looks through the four main rooms. He can’t find him, so he goes upstairs.    
  
There’s a sinking feeling in his chest as he opens doors to other couples making out.

Tony isn't even sure why he agreed to go to the bedroom at this party, but they clicked pretty well and the guy is hot and nice, so there's nothing wrong with it, right? He's sure Rhodey is already busy with his other friends, so he probably won't even notice he's gone.   
  
Within the first five minutes, Tony's shirt flies to the ground and the guy basically devours him, making the boy grind against him and Tony can feel that the other enjoys this just as much as he does, he has no head to think about much else. At one point, he's spun around and the guy is above him, sitting on him and kissing him deeply.   
  
Then, the door suddenly opens and literally slams against the wall. Tony doesn't even have time to flinch before the guy he's with is ripped off of him and he can only stare in complete confusion and bewilderment.

When Rhodey sees the other man on top of Tony. Tony who is shirtless and panting, his blood boils. He rips the man off. 

“What the fuck, dude!” The guy exclaims turning and getting ready to start something.

“Out now, before I decide to actually hurt you,” Rhodey barks. The other steps back and shoots a glance at Tony.

It takes a moment before Tony actually realizes what happened and when he does, he's anything but happy. 

"Rhodey, what the hell!" he shouts, pushing himself up with his arms and glares at him. "What do you think you're doing here? Did you never learn to knock on doors?"

Rhodey looks at the guy and uses his military voice he learnt from his dad. He snaps:   
“Out!” The guy practically races out of the room. “Did you listen to anything I said?!” He then snaps at Tony.

Tony rolls his eyes and leans to the side, fetching his shirt off the floor. So much for having some fun tonight. 

"Yes, I did," he snaps back when he starts to put it on, glaring at Rhodey. "But in case you didn't notice yet, I'm not your damn property! I just wanted to have some fun, what's the big deal? He didn't force me and I'm not drunk either."

Rhodey is not in the mood for what he sees as excuses. “You don’t know him, and you went into a room alone with him, do you have any idea how dangerous that is?” He demands. “You didn’t even tell me where you were going!”

"My God!" Tony rolls his eyes again, growling frustrated and dropping his arms that are halfway up his shirt. "Sorry if I didn't tell you I wanted to get fucked, MOM!" This is just getting ridiculous at this point. Why is he making such a big deal out of it? Nothing happened and Tony wanted it!

Rhodey has been drinking, he’s a little tipsy, and he’s struck with the overwhelming urge to prove his point. He surges forward and rips the shirt out of Tony’s hands and pins him to the bed by his wrists.

Tony is so surprised by Rhodey's sudden movement that he yelps, his mind taking some time to process what's happening because he's a little tipsy himself. When his wrists are suddenly pinned down on the bed, he tries to push Rhodey back, but he's far too strong for him. "What are you doing? Let me go!" he whines, angry and confused and not knowing what his friend is doing.

Rhodey stares down at Tony. “I will let go, but guess what, there will be people who won’t, there are people stronger than me who will find this even easier.” He pushes Tony’s wrists up and holds them in one hand, then grabs Tony’s chin with his free one. “I could do whatever I want now,” he snaps.

Tony gulps and stares up at Rhodey with wide eyes. He's completely torn from what he feels right now. On one side there is this fear that Rhodey is right, that he is such easy prey for anyone who wants to take him against his will, but on the other, there's this strange feeling in his stomach at his friend grabbing and holding him like this that makes it impossible to ignore it.   
  
"Why don't you then?" he asks with a shaking voice, not even sure why. Part of him wants to know what he would do, yes, and part of him is scared that it will destroy everything. But this is... hot, somehow. There's no other way to say it.

The shaky question makes all the blood in Rhodey’s body rush to his cock. He swallows, part of him wants to take Tony. But instead, he kisses Tony, almost drowns him in kisses before pulling back and letting go of his wrists. “B-because I’d never force you.”

Tony is shaking by the time Rhodey pulls back, tears shimmering in his eyes. He looks up at his friend, feeling utterly miserable and ashamed. 

"I'm sorry..." he sniffs and pushes himself up, wrapping his arms around Rhodey's neck and burying his face against the other's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Rhodey... I didn't mean to be bad..."

Rhodey sits, scooping Tony into his lap and hugging him tightly. “I know, Tones, sorry for scaring you, that was mean. I just worry about you so much,” he whispers and kisses his forehead. “I forgive you, I’ve got you.”

Tony shakes his head violently, holding onto Rhodey as tight as he possibly can. "I shouldn't have run away, I'm sorry," he sniffs sadly. "I know you just worry and want to protect me, I don't wanna make you mad by being dumb."

Rhodey kisses hair. “Shhh, it’s okay, I understand,” he murmurs. “I know it feels good to get that kind of attention but you’ve got to be more careful for me, okay?” he says softly, stroking Tony’s back.

Tony still sniffs, but Rhodey holding him calms him down slowly. He understands why he was mad, why he ripped that guy off of him. Hell, Tony doesn't even know his name, Rhodey is right. What he did was so stupid and dangerous. 

"I'll be careful, I promise," he says, gripping Rhodey's shirt and starts fiddling with the buttons to soothe himself. "I didn't want you to worry, it just... felt so nice that someone doesn't suddenly stop talking to me without telling me why..."

Rhodey feels guilt coil in his stomach. He should stop scaring people who flirt with Tony away. He rubs Tony’s back and lies.

“Maybe people just find out you are 15. I know it’s unfair but some people don’t want to be seen to be breaking the law.”

\------

"And that was the biggest lie Rhodey told me to this day," Tony says, giving Peter a meaningful look. During the whole story he had stayed rather quiet, only filling in the blanks, but now he can't keep his mouth shut. "Because I had no idea he was the one scaring everyone who showed any interest in me away just yet. Had I known he threatened to break their noses, I would have been so mad."

Peter looks a little shocked. “That’s a little...” he trails off.    
  
Rhodey shrugs. “I was overprotective, you were 15 and very innocent, I didn’t want people playing around with your heart or taking advantage of you,” he says. He takes Tony’s hand, “I’m sorry for lying though,” he adds softly.

Tony smiles at Rhodey, squeezing his hand and leaning over to kiss his cheek. Then, he turns to Peter, speaking with a low voice. 

"He also wanted to fuck me himself, but he's not going to admit that, obviously," he grins, knowing full well that it's the truth.

Rhodey rolls his eyes but doesn’t bother denying it.   
  
Peter giggles at the playful way Tony speaks. “Sounds like you wanted it too,” he points out, grinning.

Tony can't hold back the cheeky grin and glances over at Rhodey. "Well, you know the deal. Teenage hormones, seeing someone hot, kind of happens, doesn't it?" He winks at Peter, teasingly knocking his ankle against Rhodey's. "You should have seen him work out back then. It's a miracle I didn't turn into a puddle on my bed."

Peter giggles. “Well, I would know about that, with all your getting hot and sweaty in the lab,” he states, cheeks a little pink.    
  
Rhodey laughs. “How does it feel to be the one being stared at?” He teases.

"In my defence, I did quite a lot of staring myself," Tony shrugs and gives Rhodey a cheeky look. "Nice knowing all my efforts weren't fruitless though. I put quite some work into making sure there's something worth staring at over the last months."

“Tease!” Peter accuses. So he hadn’t been imagining the increased frequency of tank tops and heavy lifting!    
  
Rhodey rolls his eyes. “Oh, you have no idea. Tony changed in the bathroom every single time for months and then occasionally he’d put on a show,” he says.

Tony grins, remembering those times all too vividly. "It's not like you ever complained though," he cocks, shrugging. "And you did the same, so don't you dare judge me. At least I didn't change right in front of you, though, that would have probably gotten me laid much sooner..."

Rhodey shrugs. "I noticed a lot more moaning at night when I stopped changing my underwear in the bathroom," he says, smirking.

Tony blushes and glares at him, not quite sure if Rhodey really wants to go to where his own mind just wanders. 

"Again, it's not like you minded, did you?" he asks. "I remember a certain night where you were far from annoyed by this. Did you forget that already?"

Rhodey leans across the table and kisses Tony. "As if I could forget the first time you made yourself cum," he murmurs smugly.   
  
Peter looks shocked at this line. "What do you mean?"

Tony growls against Rhodey's lips, but when he pulls back he grins. He takes one of Peter's hands, squeezing it slightly before turning towards him. "Well, I told you I never really got off before that evening when I got drunk, but... I really liked it," he says, sounding as if it's the most normal thing that his best friend got him off like that. "I knew people jerked off, so I figured I could try again. I knew what would happen, you know? So, one night, when Rhodey was already asleep, I gave it another go..."

Peter swallows mouth very very dry. "Yeah?" he asks. breathless and eager. He wants to know all about this story.

\--------

Tony has been nervous all evening and when they went to bed, he almost held his breath until Rhodey was finally asleep. Ever since the night he has been drunk - which was about a week ago - he can't stop thinking about what happened and he wants to know badly if he can repeat it. He tried jerking off before, but he always stopped because he is just so damn sensitive, it always starts to actually hurt. But now he knows what the end is and it felt so good, he wants it again. Badly.   
  
So, once Rhodey's breathing finally became steady and quiet, Tony decides this is his best bet. He pushes his pyjama pants down, not wanting to get them dirty, and starts touching himself carefully. He's not hard yet, but it doesn't take long when he lets his mind wander back to that night, remembering how good it had felt when Rhodey had touched him.

Rhodey can tell that Tony is agitated, but he doesn't seem ready to talk about it yet. Tony is one of those people that you have to let come to you and Rhodey is fine with waiting.    
  
He falls into a light sleep quickly, mind at once showing him images of Tony's face when he cums.

Tony is writhing under his own touch, trying desperately to stay quiet and failing miserably more than once. He even covers his mouth with one hand eventually, not wanting to wake his friend up but not wanting to stop either.   
  
It feels good, so so good. Not as good as Rhodey touching him, but his imagination is vivid and fills in the blanks easily, which results in him letting out quiet moans at the pleasure running through him. It's not painful yet, which gives him hope, but it feels amazing.

Rhodey wakes to the soft sound of moans he blinks several times and turns his head, in the darkness he can make out Tony, he is shifting around and moaning. Rhodey's cock throbs.

Tony bites his bottom lip and squeezes his eyes shut when he feels the sting in his cock, almost crying at the sheer desperation he feels. Why, why does this keep happening? This isn't fair! He keeps trying, but once it starts to hurt he can't concentrate at anything else anymore and he lets out a horribly frustrated sob, stilling. He has tears in his eyes by now, but he barely registers them when he suddenly hears something from the other side of the room and freezes in place. Rhodey, oh god... he woke him, didn't he? What is he supposed to do now??

Rhodey knows what’s happening, Tony is touching himself but then he stops and lets out a little sob, almost like, he can't cum? That can't be right, Tony came so beautifully for him last week.    
  
He shifts and sees Tony's head snap to him. "What's wrong, baby?" he whispers.

Tony thinks his heart is about to jump out of his chest when he hears Rhodey's voice and he visibly flinches, turning and burying his face against his pillow. This is so embarrassing, oh God, why did he have to do that?   
  
He's quiet for a minute, not answering, but he's still hard and he still wants to cum so desperately, it's making him feel so awful. "It hurts..." he finally whispers, tears in his eyes threatening to spill over. "It always hurts, I hate it..."

Oh, Tony. Poor, sweet angel. He must be rubbing himself raw trying to cum, he might just be extra sensitive too. Rhodey might be able to help, so he opens his bedside drawer and pulls out a bottle of lube.

"Catch, Tony," he says, tossing the bottle to land by the other boy.

Tony is confused for a moment before he feels something land next to him and sits up. It's a small bottle, which doesn't help him understand at all. "W-What's that?" he asks, swallowing. Is Rhodey mocking him? Or is he trying to help him? Tony wipes his eyes angrily and shakes his head. "What am I supposed to do with that?"

Rhodey can hear the frustration is his voice.

"It's lube, Tony. It will make it feel better, promise. Lay on your back for me and squirt some into your hand," he says, voice soft and gentle.

Tony doesn't know what this is supposed to do, but he trusts Rhodey, so he does as he's told. The liquid coming from the bottle is cold, but it doesn't feel all that bad. He lays back down, looking at the ceiling. "Am I supposed to... touch myself with it?" he asks, feeling utterly dumb for even asking.

Rhodey's cock throbs at the innocence of the question and he squeezes himself through his pants.    
"Wrap your hand around your cock, baby," he pauses. "How where you touching yourself before?"

"Just... like that, but... not with this," Tony admits, cheeks flushing dark pink as he follows Rhodey's order and wraps his hand around his cock. He gasps at the cold and slick feeling, pressing his head back into the pillow. This is so weird, having Rhodey tell him what to do and knowing he's listening and watching him, but it feels so much better than before, Tony can hardly swallow down another sob. "It's... ah - it's so much better..." he moans, arching his back as he starts stroking himself slowly.

Rhodey groans and pulls out an unopened bottle pushing his own pjs down as he wraps his slick hand around his own cock.

"That's is, baby," he moans, "Keep going just like that."

Tony shudders when Rhodey keeps calling him baby, the nickname hitting something he didn't know was even there in the first place. He squeezes his cock hard when he hears the slick sounds coming from the other bed, moaning at the thought of Rhodey touching himself too.    
  
"It feels so good, Rhodey," Tony gasps, his breath hitching when he keeps going. "I... I never did it this long..." He wonders if he can actually cum like this. There is still a bit of pain, but with the lube and listening to Rhodey, it's barely bothering him anymore.

God, Tony's voice filled with pleasure is killing him. "Good boy," he gasps. "The pleasure is really going to build Tony, but I want you to be a good boy and keep going even when it feels like a lot."

Tony bites his lip and nods before remembering Rhodey can't see him. "I... I will," he swallows. He wants it to be as good as when Rhodey touched him and almost wants to ask him for help, but he can't do that, that's just going way too far.   
  
Eventually, Tony closes his eyes and just listens while he tries to focus on touching himself just right, the heat in his stomach slowly increasing to the point it feels like he's burning. He moans long and low, but he doesn't stop. He wants this so badly, he can't stop now.

Rhodey can hear as Tony’s breathing speeds up, he’s approaching his climax. He’s so sweet and pliable, doing everything Rhodey tells him to.    
  
“Come on, baby boy, come for me, all over your stomach,” he moans, his own hand speeding up.

Tony can't stay quiet anymore, his chest heaving and his hand pumping his cock hard. Rhodey's 'baby boy' has him so weak and moan again and it feels so insanely good. "Ah! Rhodey, I... I'm gonna -"   
  
Tony cums without being able to finish his sentence, crying out as he spills all over his chest. It's like he's exploding and he can't stop moaning or stroking himself, it's like all those times he couldn't do it are coming together.    
  
"Oh God..." he whimpers, tears rolling down his face. This is too much, fuck, he feels like he's dying but it's better than anything else he knows. It only takes a few seconds before Tony absolutely falls apart and cums. 

“Fuck,” Rhodey gasps as he listens to Tony whimper and moans. His hips buck, making the springs creak in the mattress. “Fuck, fuck, fuck!” he moans as he cums hard.

Tony is whimpering as he listens to Rhodey, his cock still spurting cum over his stomach. He can barely breathe, but fuck, it's amazing, he wishes this would never stop.   
  
"Rhodey..." he cries out, eyes squeezed shut as his orgasm slowly fades. He's still shaking from this intense and new sensation, he can't stop it.

“Tony,” Rhodey pants. God his baby sounds so wrecked. “You okay, did you get yourself all messy?”

"Mhm," Tony sniffs and wipes his eyes, frustrated that he's crying even though this isn't something to cry about at all. God, he wants Rhodey to hold him so much right now. He pulls his pyjama pants down fully and tries his best to clean himself up with them, screwing the idea of keeping them from getting dirty. "I'm all sticky..." he mumbles, half embarrassed.

Rhodey wipes his stomach with a tissue, then decides it’s only kind to help Tony, so he goes and gets a flannel he wipes himself with fully and then brings it too Tony. “Here you go, Tones,”’he murmurs.

Tony thankfully takes the flannel from Rhodey with one hand to clean himself a bit more, the other wrapping around his wrist and not letting go until he's done. "Please, don't... don't go..." he whispers finally, pleads almost and looks up at the other with tear-wet eyes. He doesn't know what to feel, just that he wants Rhodey to stay. "Please, James..."

Rhodey can see the wet eyes glint in the dark and the trembling voice. “Course I’ll stay, move over, baby,” he murmurs.

Tony sniffs and pushes himself to the side, his chest aching from sheer relief that Rhodey won't go away again. He suddenly becomes embarrassingly aware of the fact that he's naked from the waist down and his cheeks flush as he pulls his pyjama top down the best he can.

Rhodey sees the boy pull his shirt down and smiles in the dark as he realises he isn't wearing pants. Rhodey lies down and pulls the cover over both of them. "I'm here, Tones."

Tony doesn't want to make everything worse, but Rhodey is there and he needs to be held so much, so he shoves himself closer and snuggles against his side, an arm draping over Rhodey's chest and his face buried against him. "Thank you for staying," he whispers ashamed, not able to look up. He's 15 and wants Rhodey to sleep next to him, talk about not being a child...

Rhodey wraps an arm around him happily. "It's okay, it's nice to hold someone like this," he tells him gently. He kisses his forehead.

Tony relaxes a little at Rhodey's words, shifting slightly so he's more comfortable. He makes sure to keep his hips far away from the other though, not wanting him to think anything wrong. "It's nice when you hold me," he whispers after a minute. And it is. Rhodey is warm and he feels safe when he holds him, even if he's still embarrassed and ashamed. "Can you stay here tonight?"

Rhodey smiles and rubs his back. "Course, baby. I'll stay here as long as you want, promise," he murmurs. "You want me to go after you fall asleep, you might be embarrassed in the morning?"

Tony knows what Rhodey means and he knows it might happen, but he doesn't want him to leave. "It's alright, I... I don't want you to leave..." he says quietly. "If... if it happens... will you be mad?" It's not like Tony could control what happens to his body in the morning, but Rhodey probably experiences the same thing, right?

Rhodey realises what Tony thought he meant. "Oh now, of course not, baby, I just meant in the light of day you might feel embarrassed about what happened," he murmurs.

Tony quickly shakes his head, shoving himself closer to the other. "I won't be..." he whispers. "And if... it's not your fault... I shouldn't have done this, I just... wanted to know if it would feel as good as the first time, that's all..." He feels terribly ashamed, but he doesn't want Rhodey to think he would feel bad about him being there. "Do... do you think you will feel embarrassed?"

Rhodey kisses his forehead and strokes his back comfortingly. 

"No, I won't be embarrassed and it's okay. I am the one who got involved, it's okay, baby," he promises. He strokes Tony's hair. "You can get in bed with me whenever you need to, okay?"

Tony feels so happy hearing that and nods, pushing himself up enough to kiss Rhodey's cheek. He blushes when he does this, glad that it's dark and the other can't see it, and quickly snuggles back against him. "I'm glad you... helped me," he admits. "I would have given up again without you..."

Rhodey smiles at the sweet kiss and kisses Tony's forehead again. "I'm glad  you came, you must have been really frustrated, huh?" he asks voice soft and gentle.

"Yeah, pretty much," Tony sighs. Frustrated is really an understatement, given how often he tried. "I thought I can't even do it at all until... you made me... and I wanted it again." Is it bad that he enjoyed what happened the week before? He really doesn't know. They are friends after all, he shouldn't think about Rhodey like that, but sometimes... he just can't help it.

Rhodey holds him close, the fact he gave Tony his first ever orgasm is a little intoxicating. 

“I’m glad I could help, it must have been hard being so pent up,” he murmurs. “From now on don’t worry about if I’m here or not, you can touch yourself, it’s good for you and you always ask me to leave of course.”

Tony bites his lip, wondering if Rhodey will be mad if he's honest with him now. He doesn't seem to mind what happened, but what if he thinks he's dumb or crazy or just outright disgusting?   
  
"I... I don't mind you being here," Tony finally says, almost inaudible. His face feels horribly hot and he can't help it. "That you were there and... talked to me... that really helped..."

Rhodey presses a kiss to his forehead.

“I’ll always be happy to help, you sound so beautiful when you are touching yourself, Tony,” he murmurs.

Tony presses his face against Rhodey's shoulder, outright embarrassed by his words. Why is he saying such things? Why is he so nice and sweet and doesn't mind these things? Tony doesn't understand, not at all. 

"I never... had someone call me baby before..." he whispers, even though it makes him feel so much worse because he knows he shouldn't enjoy this as much as he does. "Or baby boy... I really like it when you do that..."

God, Tony is so fucking perfect. “I’ll remember that, baby boy,” he smiles, kissing his cheek,   
“How be a good boy and go to sleep for me, we have lecture tomorrow, okay?”

Tony smiles and snuggles against Rhodey almost completely, wanting as much of his warmth as he can possibly get. "I'll always be good for you, I promise," he whispers and finally closes his eyes. "Just don't go away, please." As long as he wakes up and Rhodey is be there, Tony knows it will be okay. Everything will be okay.

Rhodey looks at Tony and knows no one will ever be good enough for this sweet boy in his arms. He rubs his shoulder. “I won’t, baby boy, I won’t,” he promises. 

\-----   
  
Peter is shocked at the very sweet ending to the story, but he giggles.

“How did you not know that he liked you?” he asks Tony.

Tony gives him a weak smile with a hint of sadness in it. "Because I didn't know what it's like if someone actually likes you, especially this way," he says. "The only people who ever 'liked' me were either paid to do it or our own servants. And I guess my mother, but that's about it. I felt awful for having these thoughts because it just didn't feel right. We were friends after all. But they were always there..."

Peter’s heart breaks a little and he stares, not knowing what the right words are.    
  
They have all finished eating now, so Rhodey stands and pulls Tony close. He kisses his hair. “I love you, baby boy,” he murmurs.

"Of course you do," Tony smirks and kisses Rhodey's cheek. The old nickname still makes his heart flutter like nothing else. He feels like they're back in college where everything was so much easier. "I love you too, big boy."

Being called ‘big boy’ or ‘big guy’ by Tony always makes his heart flutter and he kisses him softly.   
“You two ready to talk about it?” 

Tony nods, he sure is, but he still looks over at Peter because this involves him just as much. "We... kind of talked a little, but I think there's more that needs to be discussed," he says, holding out a hand for Peter to take and signaling him to stand up too. "Do you wanna talk about it, Pete?" he asks softly.

Pete smiles and takes Tony’s hand, he kisses the back of it. “Yeah, I do,” he says, smiling.    
  
Rhodey loves how the kid treats Tony, so sweet and kind.

Tony can't help but smile at the sweet kiss and keeps holding Peter's hand as they walk back over to the couch. He's a little scared of this talk, mainly because it's only necessary due to his inability to choose, but he's very glad Peter didn't already leave or told him he can't do this. It gives him a bit of hope this might actually work out.

Rhodey rubs his back and kisses his hair before pulling back and just holding his hand as they sit on the couch. He hopes this relaxes Peter as it puts them on a more level playing field.    
  
Peter squeezes Tony’s hand. “Well, uh, I think the first thing is, do you... approve of me, Rhodey?” He asks nervously.

"So far you didn't give me a reason to disapprove of you," Rhodey says sincerely, looking at Peter. "As long as you don't hurt Tony I can live with this arrangement. The same question goes for you too, though. Because this involves all of us equally."

Peter smiles shyly and nods.

“Well, I already liked you and you clearly love Tony, I… find you a bit intimidating though,” he admits, cheeks turning a little pink.   
  
Rhodey chuckles at the admission. “We can try and work on that, we don’t want you feeling intimidated and not being able to talk about things because of it.”

Tony looks at Peter and then at Rhodey, not really knowing what to say to the way they talk to each other about this. "So, you really mean it?" he asks unsure, gripping both of their hands a bit tighter as if he's scared they'll leave. "You both... want this?"

Peter nods. “I really really like you, and I... I don’t mind you being with Rhodey too, but,” he pauses before taking a breath, he needs to be honest so they can set limits. “I’d only be comfortable if it was just us three, none of us sleeping with anyone else,” He Says.   
  
Rhodey smiles. “I am happy to just be with Tony,” he says softly.

Tony leans over and kisses Peter gently. "No one else, promise," he smiles, brushing his fingers over the boy's cheek. "I already can't believe this, I don't want anyone else." He pauses for a moment, knowing his next words can turn good or bad. "I need to know what you're comfortable with though, honestly. If there's anything you don't want or can't stand, I'd like to know so there won't be anything happening that upsets you or hurts you, okay?"

Peter thinks about it. “Well I’m pretty inexperienced so I’m not sure, but I, um,” he looks at Rhodey and then away quickly. “I’m not really comfortable with Rhodey touching me,” he admits. “Is... is that okay?”   
  
Rhodey squeezes Tony’s hand. “Of course it is, Peter,” he says, giving him a smile.

Tony expected something like this, so he's not surprised. "No one will do anything you don't want, I promise," he says, kissing the back of Peter's hand. "If you're only comfortable with me alone that's okay too. I'd never want to hurt you, I mean it."

Peter bites his lip and nods. “I... I‘m not sure how I feel about watching you two, or Rhodey watching us,” he admits, cheeks pink. He kisses Tony softly.

"That's okay, I promise," Tony smiles, kissing Peter back just as soft. He's just too sweet and Tony is so glad he's honest with him about this. As much as he would like to be with them both, he isn't going to force anything on him. "Thank you for telling me. And if there's anything else you can always say it, okay? I won't ever be mad or not listen."

Peter nods and kisses him, softly. “Okay, I’ll uh try and be honest and stuff,” he promises.    
  
Rhodey turns Tony’s face. “Are you feeling better now?” He asks. “You were very shaken up earlier, I was worried.”

Tony nods slowly, but there's still worry in his eyes. It's going to go away eventually, but right now he's still very much all over the place. "I'm sorry for worrying you like that, I really didn't mean to," he says quietly. "I'm a bit better, yeah. I don't know why I acted like that, I'm sorry..."

Rhodey kisses him gently. “It’s okay,” he murmurs. “You really reminded me of 16 or 17 year old you, it was a little trippy,” He says stroking his back.

"I... felt like it too, actually," Tony admits, his cheeks flushing from shame. He has never done this before, never. Yes, sometimes when he was in a bad place he came to Rhodey, but never like this. "I must have really weirded you out, huh?"

Rhodey shrugs. “It was upsetting how upset you were and how young you seemed made that worse, you know,” he pauses. “But I’ll always take care of you,” he promises and looks at Peter,   
“You’re okay, right?” he asks.   
  
Peter nods. “I’m fine now, it was pretty scary how different you seemed and how upset you were, though.”

Tony isn't just upset by this sudden change of behavior, he's outright terrified because he can't explain it and has no idea what actually happened. He tries his best to swallow it down though, he doesn't want to worry them even more.   
  
"I think I'm fine again," he says quietly, sighing. "I really don't know what was up with that but... it won't happen again, I hope."

Rhodey can see how much it bothers him and he strokes through his hair.

"Tony, we are both here, it's going to be okay. If it happens again I'll take care of you, okay?" he murmurs.   
  
Peter takes Tony's hand and nods in agreement.

Tony nods, but deep down he feels like screaming. "I'll try to keep it together, I... I don't know if I like being like this," he mumbles ashamed. "It makes me feel so vulnerable... and weak."

Rhodey pulls Tony onto his lap, he knows it's a little unfair on Peter, but he knows how to calm him down. "It's okay to be vulnerable around people you trust," he says, guiding Tony's head onto his shoulder.    
  
Tony's legs end up on Peter's lap and he moves along so he's sitting next to Rhodey and rubs Tony's knee. "I feel pretty vulnerable too if that helps,” he admits softly.

"You do?" Tony asks surprised, turning his head enough to look at Peter. He knows him for a while now, but they never really spoke about things like that, they never got to this personal level, which now feels like a missed opportunity. "Aren't you frustrated with that and angry about it?"

Peter is a little surprised about the question and blinks.

"Um, no, it's just a little scary, but I know it's okay because you're here,"

Tony smiles weakly at that. It's nice knowing he's not the only one who feels like this, even though he doesn't like that Peter does too. "It was really scary," he admits with a sigh. "I didn't even feel like myself anymore, it was all just... panic and I didn't know what to do. That's not what usually happens..."

Rhodey rubs circles into Tony's back, his other hand gently guides Tony's to his shirt buttons.   
  
"I'm sorry for making you feel that way," Peter says feeling so horrible that he caused this.

Tony shakes his head, fingers absentmindedly playing with the buttons on Rhodey's shirt. "You didn't cause that," he says. "That I panicked wasn't your fault, it was mine. I should have just talked to you instead of running away and upsetting you like that."

Peter shakes his head. “No, you... you said no and I didn’t listen.” Saying it out loud makes him realise how horrible it is. He didn’t listen. He kissed Tony without his consent because he felt like he knew better than him. His breathing speeds up.

Tony swallows and pushes himself back to pull Peter into his arms. "Shh, Pete, don't start with that, please," he murmurs, brushing a hand through the boy's hair gently. "I'm not mad that you kissed me, okay? This wasn't because you did that, I promise."

Peter goes to Tony and lets out a small sob.

“But you said no and I ignored it,” he sobs, “I won’t ever again, I promise.”

"Pete, darling, look at me, please." Tony gently cups Peter's face, looking into his eyes as warm and loving as he can. "I promise you it's okay. I wanted you to kiss me, but I started panicking before you did it already, that's the only reason I said no. I was scared I would hurt you and that all spiralled out of control. I'm not mad at you. If you hadn't kissed me, we wouldn't be here right now..."

Peter sniffs. “But that doesn’t change that I ignored your consent, I... I can’t believe I did that, it’s so selfish and horrible,” he whispers, still crying.

"Oh, darling," Tony says softly, guiding the boy's head to rest against his chest. It's breaking his heart to see Peter so upset over this. He gently kisses his head, stroking over his back. "It's okay, I promise it's okay. I know you didn't mean to and you didn't hurt me. You're not like that, you're the sweetest and kindest person I know, you'd never be hurtful like that."

“But I did, I did,” Peter sniffs and clings to Tony.

Rhodey’s heart is breaking a little watching Peter cling to Tony and cry over such a little thing. Well, to Peter it clearly isn’t, he clearly values consent, but in order to get Tony he’d let himself bend his own rules.

Tony hates seeing Peter cry, it's not right, not over something like this. "I know you won't do it again, Peter," he murmurs, kissing his head again. "The fact that you're so upset about this shows what a sweet, wonderful boy you are."

Peter sniffs but slowly stops crying at the soothing kissing. “‘M sorry,” he mumbles softly.

"It's okay, darling, I promise," Tony whispers, carefully rubbing Peter's shoulders. "You are so wonderful and amazing, I could never be mad at you. I'm so glad you kissed me and didn't listen."

Peter still feels bad but Tony says it’s okay, so it is. He kisses Tony softly, and Tony kisses back.   
“Sorry about freaking out,” he whispers.

"It's alright, Peter," Tony smiles, brushing his hand through his hair. He's just so cute, so worried about a simple kiss. "You were upset and that's okay, I know you don't want to hurt me and I promise you didn't." He leans forward and kisses Peter's cheek sweetly. "Now let me wipe those tears out of your pretty eyes, okay? It's all good, nothing bad happened."

Peter swallows and nods. Tony wipes his cheeks so they are free of tears. He kisses him in thanks.   
  
Rhodey smiles as he watches Tony take care of his baby.

"There we go," Tony smiles softly, thumbs brushing over Peter's cheeks. He always thought Peter is pretty, but right now with his cheeks pink from crying, it becomes even more obvious. "Are you feeling a little better?"

He nods leans into Tony’s hand. “Thank you,” he says. His gut squirms in embarrassment at Rhodey seeing the whole thing. “Um, sorry Rhodey, for that,” he apologizes.   
  
“It’s okay Pete, I understand,” Rhodey says, giving him a gentle smile.


End file.
